A Winter's Breeze
by sapidus
Summary: A cold winter's breeze has blown through the village. Inu Yasha realizes that he has a family of sorts, while the holiday seasons have arrived in Kagome's time.
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note:

Hi all. This is my first work of fanfiction. However I am an experienced writer so do not go easy on me. This was essentially something I thought up of while experiencing writers block. If everyone likes it though I might just turn this into a small hobby. Also feel free to correct me on any grammar or spelling mistakes. I do not think there are but I have not proof read it. Enjoy!

BTW: I hope its obvious, but if it is not, Italics indicate some sort of thought or introspection or flashback.

Disclaimer:

I, in no way, shape, or form, own Inu Yasha or any of the materials and characters involved in said Anime/Manga.

**

A Winter's Breeze

**

Inu Yasha sat crouched on a high branch that overlooked Kaede's hut. His nose twitched as he checked the air for any possible threats. He could not pick out any scents other than the cold chill of winter. His golden eyes trailed lazily over the ground beneath him. The talk of the group drifted up from below him and to his ears. It was almost relaxing. A slap rang out across the area, putting a temporary silence to the antics below him. However, it was only moments before his odd companions were once again busy chatting away.

Sango sat close to the fire that provided the group with warmth and light in face of the setting sun. She was polishing her large oversized boomerang while obviously still fuming from Miroku's latest offense. The aforementioned monk sat no more than five feet away rubbing the pulsing red handprint on his cheek. Whenever they gathered together for the night Miroku would always try to pull something. Whether it was his wandering hand or his perverted mouth, he would end up on the receiving end of some type of physical pain. After that Sango would place five feet between them. As the night wore on, the monk would try to inch closer to her location. He would close the distance to perhaps two or three feet before Sango would scoot around the fire to keep him away. Occasionally he would get within groping distance before she would notice. In those instances she would be rudely interrupted from her polishing and the peace would be broken by the monk getting his brains knocked out once again.

Curled up next to the demon huntress was Kiara the fire cat. The neko seemed to be peacefully sleeping, but Inu Yasha knew that she was just alert as he was. The third and final demon of the group, Shippo, was hopping around the person Inu Yasha most often found his thoughts drifting off to, Kagome.

He sighed as he began staring at the priestess who so dominated his thoughts. He did not understand her at all. Even in the near freezing weather she still insisted on wearing those scandalous clothes of her time. When it had begun to get cold he had hinted that she should get some warmer clothing, but of course, she had ignored his suggestion.

"Listen Wench! It's fucking cold. If I'm letting you go back to your time for a day then you had better get warmer clothes"

"What do you care you loud mouthed jerk?"

"I don't need my shard detector getting sick because she is too stupid to dress properly."

"Don't worry. Your SHARD DETECTOR will be fine! She doesn't need you telling her what to do."

Inu Yasha flinched at that. He probably should NOT have called her a shard detector. Still it was for her own good.

"I bet you just want to go on wearing that to flaunt yourself to all the men we come across. I bet you are just hoping we come across Kouga!"

"You, you… You Jerk. Sit! Sit! Sit!"

Okay he definitely pushed it with that.

"SIT!"

That hurt.

"I don't need you telling me how to dress. Besides why would you care if I was trying to flirt with other men?"

This threw Inu Yasha's mind for a loop. Why should he care? After all, she was just suppose to be his shard detector. He did not tell her but he had spent countless nights asking himself that question. Why should he care? Before he could stutter out a reply or at least come back with his standard 'feh' the young girl's voice rang out again. If it was not for what she was saying, it would have been like music.

"Sit boy."

And with that she was down the well again, and he was down eating dirt again.

He smiled. In the end though, he had been right. On the return trip for their latest jewel hunt, the temperature had dropped at least ten degrees. Of course Kagome remained her stubborn self and refused to admit that she was cold. That did not mean that he did not notice her shivering. After about fifteen minutes he had decided that she had learned her lesson. He had leapt over to her side and dropped his haori over her shoulders. She had given him a weak apologetic smile, to which he just fehed, and promised to wear something warmer when she came back next time. In the end he had won that argument.

As she sat by the fire, she still wore his haori. She shivered slightly as a icy breeze blew by. She suddenly let out a laugh at something Shippou had said. Kagome was sitting on top of her sleeping bag, which was placed near the others. Her odd yellow bag lay on the ground next to her. He watched as a smile graced her visage and her countenance simply glowed. He loved it when she smiled like that. He only wished that it would be directed at him more often.

Inu Yasha growled slightly at that thought. He found himself thinking like that more and more often. He did not care about her. She was only his shard detector. He could not care about her or anyone else for that matter. If he cared about her, about any of his traveling companions, but especially her, then he could get hurt. Just like with his mother… and Kikyo.

He let out a sigh. He was not fooling anyone. He definitely had feelings for the strange girl from the future. The question was, just how strongly did he feel. He definitely thought of her as a friend. But it was different than how he thought of Miroku and Sango. It was something more. It could possibly be love? He had once thought he had felt love before when Kikyo was still alive. But should it have been so easy to destroy love. He did not think so.

After many hours, Inu Yasha had decided at one point that he probably had never really loved Kikyo. Sure, he had cared for her. He had cared enough that he was willing to turn human. But most of the feelings in their relationship had likely come from loneliness. That thought, that he had never loved Kikyo, made him happy. The reason was simply because he knew what he felt for Kagome was different than what he _had_ felt for Kikyo. That meant he could love Kagome. But he still was not sure.

Once again he looked at his companions. No they were more than that; they were his friends. Inu Yasha shook his head. They were his family. Yes, he was not sure when it had happened but they had become one big happy family. Sure they were a bit dysfunctional, but it was better than being alone. They were his family and he would die before anything hurt anyone of them. The thought was such a revelation. They were _his_ family. Inu Yasha gave an imperceptible nod of his head as he came upon another thought. If they were a family, it was another reason for Kagome to continue returning to the Warring States Era.

At the moment Inu Yasha needed every reassurance he could receive that the primary object of his thoughts would come back from her time. Just as he was unsure of his feelings for her, he was unsure of why he had become more lenient. Recently he had found himself caving in more and more frequently to Kagome's requests to return home. It was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it made Kagome happy, and anything that made Kagome happy was good. _However, it also means that she spends more time away from me… I mean from hunting for shards._He shook his head. He was pathetic. Still a small smile spread across his lips. He had a family to watch out for. He could figure out how he felt about Kagome later. At the moment he was content. Inu Yasha leaned back on his branch and folded his arms into his selves. After a minimal amount of fidgeting he finally got comfortable. His eyes drifted shut as the smell of potatoes cooking and the pleasant sound of his family's chatter began to lull him to sleep.

"Inu Yasha, the stew is ready. You can come down if you would like some." Inuyasha's ears flicked forward at her voice.

After several moments Kagome sighed and returned to the campfire. She had thought that perhaps Inu Yasha would like to join them, but his moods were unpredictable. She checked the stew pot to see how much was left. Shippou would probably have a second helping, so she would have to make sure some was set aside for Inu Yasha. If he was not hungry when they were all eating, then he would be later. As she began taking in the delicious aroma of the stew while listening to Miroku discuss a new shard rumor, she heard a large thud that seemed to originate directly behind her. Her instincts immediately kicked in to deal with the potential danger and she did what came naturally. She screamed and threw her potato stew at whatever had landed behind her.

A scowling Inu Yasha with an empty bowl on his head stood in front of a now bashful Kagome. His clothes were dripping with the previous contents of the bowl. It had landed on his head lopsided so that it covered one of his eyes and one of his ears. The other ear stuck out from underneath it and was twitching furiously. Kagome opened her mouth to begin apologizing when Inu Yasha beat her to the chase. Only it was not to apologize for anything.

"What did you do that for wench?" He roared into her face.

Shippou sat eating his tasty stew and sadly shook his head.

"What did you mean 'What did I do that for?'" she was now yelling back.

"Why did you dump all of your stupid soup on my head moron?"

"Well, maybe I wouldn't have done that if someone didn't go around trying to scare me. And besides, for your information, it's stew, not soup. Plus it's very good." She huffed at this point.

"I wasn't tryen to scare ya! It's not my fault you're such a fraddy cat. You were the one that offered me the soup. Or stew, it doesn't really matter. It smells just as bad either way."

"If the STEW smells so bad then don't eat it!"

"Maybe I won't"

"Fine!"

"Fine wench!"

"Don't call me wench!"

Shippou shook his head again. _Any moment now._

"I'll call you wench whenever I want to wench."

_Here it comes._

"Sit Boy!"

Yep, he got sat alright. Shippou glanced over to Miroku where he was sighing in defeat. Whenever a little argument broke out both Miroku and Sango would usually place bets on whether or not Inu Yasha would get sat or how long it would take for it to happen. Miroku almost always placed his money on Inu Yasha not getting subdued even though he knew it was a losing proposition. He claimed he liked to have faith in his friend and give him at lest some form of support. Shippou had his suspicions though. Sango rarely would bet that Inu Yasha would get away with his antics and if Miroku went the same way there would be no way they could bet against each other. It probably had less to do with faith and friendship and more to do with making an excuse to bet with, and thus spend time interacting with, the demon huntress.

Kagome slowly exhaled to check her anger. When she was done counting to ten, she sat back down and found that Shippou had already prepared her another bowl. Behind her Inu Yasha continued to mumble curses into the ground while he waited for the spell to wear off.

Inu Yasha sat slowly eating his stew. There was not as much as there should have been because of his unplanned bath. Still, it would be enough. Despite smelling like potatoes and being sat his spirits were still surprisingly high. At least they were until Sango reminded him to the idiocy he had agreed to.

"So Kagome, could you explain just one more time why you are leaving this time."

Inu Yasha groaned. A whole week he had agreed to. He was not sure what it was that had broken down his defenses. Maybe it was the promise of all the ramen he could eat, _even though there is no way she could ever get enough ramen_, or maybe it was the look she had on her face, _she really wants to go to this Christmas thing of hers_, or maybe it was the promise of an uninterrupted month of shard hunting. _Though, she will probably end up going home before the month is up._ It was not like it would make too big of a difference anyway. It had reached a point where, unless something unexpected came up, they were simply waiting for Naraku to make his move. Inu Yasha suddenly realized that Kagome had been explaining this holiday of hers again and decided to try to figure it out. All of the other times, it had not made sense to him.

"So that's what the holiday originally celebrates."

Damn he missed some of her explanation.

"It still celebrates that today, but it has become something more," she paused while thinking of how to explain it, "not just Christians but almost everyone participates in Christmas now. It is a season of goodwill and giving. People come together to spend time with their friends and family. The season is meant to be spent with your loved ones. That's why it's important to me to make it back to my time. I want to be able to spend the holiday with my family."

Shippou started bouncing up and down excitedly asking about the presents Kagome had mentioned earlier. Kagome laughed and after promising to bring him back something explained how people exchanged wrapped gifts on Christmas day. However, Inu Yasha was no longer paying any attention to the conversation. Kagome had mentioned the presents earlier so he knew all about them. What had derailed his train of thoughts were here previous words. _She is going back because she wants to spend time with her friends, her family… her loved ones._

Kagome turned around when she felt the rustling of Inu Yasha leaping away. The only sight that greeted her was that of the shadows. She glanced at Sango who only shrugged her shoulders. After letting out a sigh she continued on with her story. Miroku frowned. It seemed as if he had been the only one to notice the look of pain that had crossed over the Hanyou's face. They would have to talk the next day.

"What do you mean I'm not leaving?"

"You heard me. You're not going anywhere!"

"Didn't you listen to a word I said about why this is important to me?"

"Yea, but I don't care!"

"You promised you would give me a peaceful week back in my time!"

"Well wench, I changed my mind!"

"Sit, Sit, SIT!"

By the time Inu Yasha pulled his face out of the dirt, Kagome was already down the well. He ran to the time portal with the intention of following after her and dragging her back if need be. But when he reached the edge and gazed down into its black depths, he stopped all movements. His shoulders slumped and a defeated feeling overcame him. After reaching a decision the night before, he had spent over two hours that morning trying to prevent the girl from returning to her time. But he had failed, and now she was gone.

He leaned against the side of the well. A sense of dread passed over him. The confidence he had felt after determining that he had family was now completely gone. Replacing it was only a feeling of emptiness. He felt alone. Some part of his mind registered that it had begun snowing again and that he was getting cold. The half-demon did not care though. It could never compare to the chill that had hit his soul. He was not sure why the girl's departure was affecting him in such a profound manner. On past occasions he would sulk, be grouchy, and brood, but that would be the extent of it. This time though, he was filled with despair. He had simply given up.

Maybe it was because he had finally allowed himself to feel hope, and as soon as he did, it was snatched away from him. Even after hearing Kagome's words the other day, he had still hoped that he could prevent her from leaving. She was gone. That meant he was wrong, they were not a family. If they were she would spend at least some of this weird holiday with them, but no, she was spending the entire week in her time. The only reason she ever came back was to fulfill her responsibility of restoring the Shikon jewel. It was never out of friendship of love. His fist slammed backwards into the well, splintering the ancient wood. Then he sat.

That was how Miroku eventually found him. Inu Yasha was leaning against the side of the well with his head resting on the edge. His eyes stared strait up but did not focus on anything. They had a glazed over appearance and were only a dull reflection of their usual amber. Miroku could not be certain but he thought he saw the dried trail of tears on the hanyou's cheeks. He was uncertain as to what had sent the great warrior into such a funk but knew that he had to do something.

After trying unsuccessfully for fifteen minutes to get the half-demons attention Miroku took a seat next to Inu Yasha. He sighed as he tried snapping his fingers in front of his face again. Still, he received no response. If it were not for his shallow breathing, Miroku would think that his friend had passed on. The two of them sat like that for close to an hour. The one was wallowing in self-despair and fighting his own inner demons, while the other one contemplated the origin of his friend's condition.

Eventually Miroku found himself shivering and when he felt Inu Yasha's arm found him to be as cold as ice. With slow movements he stood up next to his friend. Miroku removed his outer robe and draped it over Inu Yasha's shoulders. After a little bit of adjusting, Miroku had managed to tuck him in satisfactory fashion. Miroku shivered as another breeze whipped past him. Without his additional clothing, the air was at least ten times as cold. Lifting up his staff, Miroku began to make his way back to the village. If Inu Yasha did not return to normal, then the monk would need assistance carrying him someplace warmer.

Final Note:

That is it for this first chapter. If people liked it I will write some more.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note:

Well I got some positive reviews. Plus my friend ended up reading it and said I should continue. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. So here is the next chapter. Enjoy.

Italics indicate thought or memory or internal dialog.

Disclaimer:

I, in no way, shape, or form, own Inu Yasha or any of the materials and characters involved in said Anime/Manga.

**A Winter's Breeze**

**Chapter Two**

Miroku raised the heavy cloak to protect his face. Peering through the small gap in the layers of cloth that protected his face, all that he could see was a wall of white. The northerly winds had turned into a gale, bringing with them a snow storm greater than any in many years. It had started shortly after he had left the well, and by the time he had returned to the village, it was in full swing. Something about it seemed wrong, almost unnatural, but Miroku had more important things to worry about.

He was slowly trudging his way through the already two foot deep snow fall. Every moment, it was pilling up higher, making their journey that much more difficult. Behind him trailed a freezing Sango and Kiara. They would have simply flown to the Bone Eater's Well, but with the weather as it was, it had been deemed unsafe. As a result the trio was on a winter trek not even knowing if the hanyou was still there. Unfortunately for the three, they could not simply leave him out in the cold. _You owe me big time Inu Yasha._

Miroku let out a loud sigh that was drowned out by the whipping of the wind. He slowly shook his head; he did not know who he was kidding. If anything he owed Inu Yasha. Sure the half-demon may be rude, obnoxious, loudmouthed, and… _Hmm, the list sort of goes on._ Still, Inu Yasha had saved his life more times than he could count. They all owed their lives to him. He was proud to say that the surly hanyou was his friend. Saving his friend from the cold was the least he could do. Especially after what the hanyou had done for him.

_"Damn you Naraku!"_

_Miroku__ knelt on his knees screaming at an empty sky. After months of searching and not finding anything they had finally met their nemesis. For the most part the battle had not gone well. Naraku had managed to make a getaway after being hit with a purifying arrow. He had escaped in the confusion created when Miroku had lost control of his air void and nearly destroyed himself. He eventually managed to get his prayer beads around his hand but not quick enough. _

_Sango's__ boomerang had gotten caught up in the dangerous winds coming from his hand and had been redirected strait for him. Because he had been attempting to control his curse, he failed to notice it coming towards him after he had closed the void. Moments before it would have impacted with him, possibly being fatal, Sango had pushed him out of the way. She had taken the blow instead._

_Her injuries had been pretty serious. Kaede claimed that the huntress would be just fine but would be out of commission for several weeks. Despite the knowledge that she would be okay, Miroku could not help blaming himself. He had made so many mistakes in that battle at every junction. If he had fought better there would have been a chance the war could have been ended that night. But he had to screw it up._

_To make matters worse, the void had ripped wider just as he was sealing it. He had wandered away from the camp and finally let his control slip. He let down his calm and cool veil and allowed himself to just vent everything that he had bottled up. As he knelt screaming to the sky, cursing Naraku, cursing himself, tears streamed down his cheeks. _

_The reason he distanced himself from Sango was so that he would be certain he would not inadvertently hurt her. But because of his incompetence, she had been hurt all the same. The fact that the demon slayer had risked her life to save his was not lost on him. It made him cry harder. It made him hate himself more. He did not want her to feel about him that way, to feel concern for him. At least not until Naraku was dead._

_Naraku__ was still alive, and it was his fault. His curse was a liability and would someday cripple them in battle. Besides, it was not of any use against Naraku anyway. He always had those cursed bees. Miroku yelled out again. Only instead of words, it was just a cry of pain. He was simply dead weight. Every moment that he sat there he sank further into his own self doubt. The walls he had built up over the years had crumbled in an instant. For that night, all of his training had simply evaporated._

_As he continued sobbing, a glint caught his eyes. A hunting knife was tucked into his belt. Slowly he drew it out. It would be so simple to end the pain, to end the suffering. With just one quick slash he could rid the group of his burden. He could end the curse that Naraku had placed on him instead of succumbing to it. That at least would be a victory of sorts. The cold metal glinted in the pale moonlight as he shifted it slightly in his palm. A cool breeze of the coming winter picked up his hair._

Miroku grimaced as he recollected his memory. He was not proud of it. He had failed in every possible way. It was one he would not mind forgetting. He was normally able to deal with his emotions in a much healthier fashion. He was uncertain what it had been about that night that had drove him to such extremes. Perhaps it was the overall feeling of failure that came with loosing Naraku once again, or maybe it was Sango. All he knew was that he had almost done the unspeakable.

_The steel pressed up against his wrist. He slowly began dragging it with a shaking hand. He saw the first signs of blood seeping out from beneath the metal. The sharp pain was nothing compared to the fire that lanced through his cursed hand, or the cold that had settled over his heart. Hesitantly he began to increase the pressure. _

_"Yo, monk!"_

_Startled Miroku hid the dagger at his side as Inu Yasha sat down at his side. The demon looked as he always did. His eyes glinted in the twilight and gruff look sat on his face. The hanyou crossed his legs and folded his arms making it perfectly clear that he was not planning on leaving anytime soon._

_"Whatcha doing out here on your own?"_

_Miroku__ refrained from answering; he was unable to meet his eyes. Shame filled him._

_"I can't believe Naraku escaped again. I kept asking myself what I could have done better, if I could truly master the Tetsusaiga would we have been able to beat him. There are at least a dozen times I know I could have done something differently, slashed down instead of up, dodge to the right instead of the left. Each of those differences could have meant victory. Just a little while ago I was taking it out on some trees. But you know what?"_

_Miroku__ still did not answer. He simply lifted his head to meet Inu Yasha's gaze, and when he did he thought he saw something in his eyes that was not there before._

_"It doesn't matter. We can't change the past. We can only look to the future and live in the present. Sure we all screw up, but we have to learn from our mistakes. Besides we'll get the bastard next time. All of us."_

_It seemed as if Inu Yasha had stressed the word 'us,' but Miroku was uncertain. He did not say anything in response, and they both sat there in silence. They stayed like that looking at the stars until they heard Kagome calling them. Inu Yasha was the first to rise and offered Miroku a hand. As Miroku stood up, he thought he perceived the smallest traces of a smile._

Inu Yasha had never brought up the knife, even though Miroku knew that he would have at least smelled the blood. They had never again mentioned that little moment of… male bonding? At times Miroku wondered if Inu Yasha had known just how close he had been to making the biggest mistake of his life. Miroku was not sure why his friend had acted so out of character that night, why he had behaved so strange. What he did know was that it had saved not just his life. It had saved much more than that. _You better be all right you stupid hanyou._

Kagome sat in her room staring out her window. It made her furious that Inu Yasha had tried to stop her from leaving. He had PROMISED to let her spend the week in her time. She had finally started to believe that the stubborn half-demon was begging to develop a sense of understanding. He had been acting so nice recently. Sure she still had to sit him occasionally, but she had to do it much less frequently than usual. _And a lot of those recent sits he didn't really deserve_, she though, thinking back to the incident where he had been trying to get her to dress warmer. He was only thinking of her own comfort.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She could not let herself feel sorry for him. He did not deserve it after trying to take back a promise. Her thoughts darkened as she saw the well house through gust of snow outside her window. If he dared to try to take her back, she would sit him so hard he would end up on the other side of the world.

Turning her head from the frost on the window, she looked over at the calendar hanging on her wall. The day five days away from the current date was circled many times over in red marker. She nearly squealed in delight. She only had to wait five days until Christmas. Like many people, it was by far her favorite holiday in the year. The over commercialization of the season bugged her slightly, but as an unexpected benefit to being in the feudal era, she had managed to miss most of that.

Unfortunately, they still had a lot of work to do. Her family had always procrastinated on the holiday usually not doing things until the last minute. They still had to get a tree and decorate the shrine. She also had to help her mother bake cookies, send out cards, and buy some presents for her brother and grandpa. Her smile grew even wider when she thought of shopping. Not only was she planning on getting gifts for her family and friends as she did every year, she also planned on getting something for everyone back in the past. In her mind, she already had gifts picked out for everyone.

Well, everyone except for one person. She had no clue what to get for Inu Yasha. She had thought about getting him something from the heart, but she was not sure how well that would work. She could also just play it safe and give him a crate of ramen. She snickered as she pictured the look on his face. Still, she wanted to get him a gift that said something.

The voice of her mother calling her broke her out of her train of thoughts. Bouncing with Christmas cheer she made her way down the old wooden stairs. She passed her brother who was busy moving furniture so they would have ample room for the tree. The young priestess followed her mother's voice to the kitchen where she found her getting a jump start on the baking. Kagome knew what to do without being told. With a smile she grabbed an apron and grabbed a bowl of mix. As she began talking with her mother, Kagome almost found it easy to forget all about her other life, to pretend that she was just a normal girl.

As they baked, they talked about a variety of topics. They needed to plan for when all of her friends were coming over on Christmas day. Normally they would all meet the day after Christmas somewhere else, but with her always being _sick_, they insisted that they come visit her that day. As a result, they simply had that much more to plan. The conversation went fine until Kagome's mother asked whether Inu Yasha would be visiting at all for the holiday. The response told her immediately that the two teens had had another fight.

"He'd better not try to _visit_," lingering anger from the fight with Inu Yasha laced her words.

Her mother sighed, best to begin the peacekeeping work in order to keep her daughter's spirits up. She began talking in a slightly scolding tone, "You mean you didn't invite him to come?"

"What! No of course not. He doesn't even know what Christmas is. Besides, even if he did, there is no way he would want to participate in another," here Kagome coughed in her hand as she prepared her best imitation of the gruff Inu Yasha, "FEH, Another stupid thing from your time. Don't be stupid wench."

Her mother mentally shook her head before responding, "Still, did you even explain why you were going to be gone for a week?"

Kagome let out a tired sigh as if she had gone over the matter a million times, "Yes… It doesn't matter though. I seriously doubt he listened to a word I said, even though I mentioned it a dozen times," slowly her voice was growing in anger, "He is just so darn stubborn! I mean sometimes I don't know what to do with him. One moment he is being sweet, and then the next, he is being a jerk. Do you understand what I mean mama?"

"Perfectly dear. Your father was just the same way before I married him… and after, but that isn't as important."

"Mom!" Kagome screeched upon catching her mother's innuendo.

"Of course, your father didn't have those cute ears. Does Inu Yasha let you pet them often?"

"Mom!"

By this point in the conversation Kagome's face was redder than the yams she was preparing. Kagome tried looking everywhere but at her mother's questioning eyes. A moment of silence passed before wither one spoke up.

"You didn't answer my question dear."

If at all possible Kagome grew even redder before answering the question, "No… He's never let me pet them," he voice just trailed off.

Her mother could not tell whether the tone in her daughters voice was from disappointment in the fact that she could not pet those cure ears, or from anger at being embarrassed. Unfortunetly, she could not give the matter too much thought. They still had much cooking to take care of.

"Kagome dear, pass me that cookbook, I want to try out that new stew recipe before Christmas."

Outside the kitchen window, ice began forming as a cold breeze swirled the falling snow into small mini-tornados. It had slowly been accumulating and had already formed a drift at the base of the shrine steps. The god tree's branches were bent under the heavy weight of the wet snow. Occasionally, some would plummet to the ground as the wind shook the branches.

Final Note:

Okay, I know that scene with Miroku and Inu Yasha was a bit out of character, but I liked it. Another update should be made around noon on Saturday.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note:

Here is the next chapter. It is a bit longer than the last one as well as a bit lighter, so I hope you all like it. Enjoy.

Italics are thought.

Disclaimer:

I, in no way, shape, or form, own Inu Yasha or any of the materials and characters involved in said Anime/Manga.

**A Winter's Breeze**

**Chapter Three**

The trip back to the village was far worse than the trip out to the well. By that point, his clothes were soaked through, and he felt frozen to the bone. When they had turned around to head back to Kaede's hut, the path they had cut through the snow had already been covered by new powder. Looking back, he saw a miserable Sango, in state very similar to his own. Behind her, he could barely make out the form of Kirara carrying something on her back. Miroku was far more concerned about that cargo than his own personal comfort.

When they had reached Inu Yasha, he was half buried in the snow. With a little bit of effort they had managed to unbury him and give him an extra layer of clothing. At first Miroku had feared the worst, that Inu Yasha had scrummed to the biting cold. That was until he had looked into his friend's open eyes. The eyes moved back and forth from Miroku to Sango, but did not focus on either of them. They seemed dead. Miroku was uncertain if the fear he felt was greater before or after seeing that sign of life.

It was encouraging that Inu Yasha had tried to stand when prompted to by Miroku. What was not encouraging was the fact that either the cold or whatever had darkened the half-demon's soul had so numbed Inu Yasha's body that both Miroku and Sango had to help support his weight. Now he lay draped across the back of the transformed fire cat as the group struggled to return to shelter.

Inu Yasha's face was buried in the warm fur of Kirara, and his body was covered with several blankets that Sango had thought to bring. Even with the extra warmth he still felt cold, colder than he had ever been before. But his consciousness did not register the fact. Neither did it notice the steady swaying motion produced as the demon cat stepped through the snow. The howling of the wind was completely ignored. His mind had turned in on itself, blocking all stimuli from the outside world.

Kagome had left to spend the week with her friends, family, and _loved_ ones. The fact that she did not plan on spending any of that time with them, with him, meant that he was not included in any of those three groups. He was merely an acquaintance, a traveling companion at best, an annoying pest at the worst.

Out of their group, he had thought himself closest with Kagome. After all, they had been the two to originally start their quest. But there was something more than time. For awhile he had thought that it had to do with her being Kikyo's reincarnation, but that was not it either. However, if he was nothing to Kagome… what could he possibly be to the others? Nothing.

They were not his friends, and they were certainty not his family. What he had perceived to be love and comradely had been nothing but his imagination. It had been a byproduct of the deep feeling of loneliness, the need for human contact, which permeated his very being. He had admitted it to himself only recently, but he needed others.

Nothing.

He had nothing.

He was nothing.

Everything he had once thought he had was only a fragile illusion. Now, Kagome's innocent words, her simple holiday, something so small and insignificant had shattered his reality. Rather than see the world around him, he saw the truth. Its gaping maw threatened to consume him as he felt his world growing darker, growing colder. Desperately he searched for a means of escape, someway that he could be wrong. If he could only see a way in which to restore his previous fantasy, he could then save himself. Even though it would be fake, an even bigger lie than the one he had been living in, it would be better than facing the harshness of his new realizations. The lost dream could offer him salvation, if he could only see a way return to it.

If he could find something to restore his belief, it could just be some words that had been casually said to him, anything would do, then he could restore his faith in their little family. He would be able to escape the shadow that threatened to engulf him. Unfortunately, he was blind. Slowly he crawled into a shell, trying to block out all thought, all existence. He briefly remembered a small child crying as his former friends threw rocks at him, called him names, called him 'half-breed.' Inu Yash's white hair rustled slightly as the wind ran over it.

Kagome turned on the faucet and slowly began washing her hands. When she looked into the bathroom mirror her slightly disheveled face returned her gaze. She had spent several hours helping her mom prepare various Christmas treats and test out a new stew recipe. After finishing, Kagome was left with her hair in a mess and flour caked onto the tip of her nose. She bowed her head into the sink bowl to splash some water into her face. When she rose her head back up she saw her brother standing behind her reaching for his toothbrush.

"Hey sis, is Inu-no-oniichan going to be visiting for Christmas?"

Kagome gave him a wry smile before responding, "No, I don't think he will be."

"Are you sure, cause that would be so cool if he did. Inu Yasha is simply the coolest. He's a lot better than you. I don't see why you even bother coming back all the time with out him. Are you sure he won't be coming."

Her brother had obviously been eating some of the sugar cookies they had baked.

"No. Inu Yasha is not coming."

By this point Kagome was grinding her teeth in an attempt to stop herself from pouncing on her brother. As she began brushing her own teeth the young child continued with his antics. Soon a large vein was throbbing on her neck as she repeated a mantra in her head. _Remember Christmas cheer. Do not kill Sota. Remember Christmas cheer._

Miraculously she made it out of the bathroom without exploding and headed to her own room for a night of sleep. The next day promised to be a busy one. After changing in her pajamas, she flopped down on her bed with a great sigh. Her life was just filled with so many conflicting obligations and relationships. Her room was plunged into darkness when she switched off the last lamp that sat next to her bed. However, rather than going to sleep, she stared out of her window.

The twirling snow seemed to glitter in the twilight. A nearly full moon shown, shinning beams of light through the branches of the god tree to the ground. The glow seemed to dance upon the sparkling snow as if it was alive. It was all a wondrous illusion, creating a nearly unearthly beauty. The snow seemed to sparkle in many hues of blue and purple. Sometimes it would seem as if it was not even there at all, then suddenly it would flare up in a great brilliance. Even with the awe inspiring spectacle taking place outside her window, Kagome found her thoughts drifting to a certain hanyou.

_Who am I kidding? This Christmas won't be complete if he isn't here. I'm sure mama would be fine with it, she practically considers him as part of the family. The question is if he would be willing to join in the festivities. Probably not, but it won't hurt to ask. _She frowned as she thought about her schedule for the next couple days._ Darn, I won't have time to go back the feudal era until the morning of Christmas Eve. Still that's plenty of time to convince him. _A content smile spread over her face as she drifted to sleep as visions of hanyous danced in her head.

When morning finally came she awoke even before her alarm clock went off. The excitement of Christmas always cut her sleep short, but she did not seem to suffer from it. It was earlier in the morning, but the rest of her family was already awake. They were all equally affected by the holiday season. As she made her way down the stairs, she hear the sound of video games coming from Sota's room and caught the scent of her mother cooking breakfast. Kagome would have to hurry; including that day, she only had two full days of shopping before Christmas Eve.

Why was everything so blurry? He tried lifting his head but met only with throbbing pain. Slowly he let his pounding head fall to the side and caught site of a person. He could not make out any details but whoever it was had dressed in purple. He thought about speaking, about asking the person where he was and what had happened. He also contemplated the fact that he could be in danger. In that case the most prudent course of action for him would be to pretend that he was still unconscious until he could asses the situation. That would indeed be the wisest choice. Instead he decided to let out a loud moan.

"Inu Yasha! You're awake."

The voice which he recognized as belonging to Miroku now came from directly above him. When he managed to open his eyes again, he saw that the person now stood above him. Slowly the blurry image resolved into a swaying vision of the monk.

"Yo monk, what the hell happened to me?"

"I am afraid you spent quite a bit of time sitting unprotected in the cold weather. There had been a short blizzard, and when we finally found you, you had nearly frozen to death. Unfortunately, even demons get sick now and then. You had developed a serious fever that would have killed a human. You've missed out on two days while you were out of it."

Inu Yasha slowly propped himself up on his elbows and looked around the room. He was in one of the corners of Kaede's hut. The monk was the only other occupant besides Inu Yasha. His senses were quickly recovering but a dull ache still existed behind his eyes. It annoyed him that his mind remained fuzzy. Something had happened. There was something he could not remember. _And why the hell was I just sitting outside in a blizzard?_

"Where the hell is Kagome?"

"You don't remember?" Concern laced Miroku's voice.

"If I did, do you think I would bother asking you! My head still hurts."

"Ahh, that could possibly be a side affect of lady Kaede's medicines. She had mentioned that it may cause a headache."

"Stupid senile old woman," Inu Yasha grumbled while folding his arms.

"Inu Yasha, please. Her medicines may well have saved your life."

"Feh," he paused a minute while considering something, "You never answered my question monk."

"Ah, yes. Lady Kagome should still be back in her time. I believe that tomorrow is the day she referred to as Christmas Eve."

Realization made itself evident on Inu Yasha's face as he remembered the happenings that led up to him becoming a hanyou-sicle. He recalled the fight he had with Kagome, and the ramifications of her leaving. His face slowly darkened and his mouth curled into a frown. He was moments away from retreating into the state he had fallen into previously. However, seeing the emotions playing on Inu Yasha's face, Miroku assumed that the half-demon had remembered the previous events and was unhappy with how he had left off with Kagome. He figured the two must have had just another fight.

"Listen Inu Yasha," Miroku began while standing up by the door, "I am going to give you a piece of advice. If you want to return yourself to Lady Kagome's good graces, then simply apologize and give her flowers."

Inu Yasha tried to plead his own innocence but Miroku cut him off, "I doesn't matter if you are really at fault or not. You have to understand women. In their minds, they are always right. If you try to fight this, you WILL loose. There is no way around that simple fact of life. Go to Kagome's time and beg and grovel. You don't have to mean a word you say. Just set your pride aside for a moment, and lie as much as you can. If you do that, I believe you will find your relationship will improve considerably."

As Inu Yasha slowly nodded his head, trying to take in Miroku's teachings, neither of the two males noticed the door opening behind Miroku. Miroku was too busy trying to get his important point across, and Inu Yasha was listening with rapt attention. Sure, in the past the monk's advice had not always worked, but the man did have much more experience with such matters than Inu Yasha could hope to achieve. Or at least he hoped the monk had the experience.

Suddenly the lesson was interrupted as the monk's head slammed into the floor. Resting atop his skull was Sango's oversized boomerang. Connected to the other end of the boomerang was the demon huntress herself. If Inu Yasha had not been so utterly surprised, he may have felt some fear of the fuming women standing at the entrance of the hut.

"Forget everything the perverted monk told you. He doesn't know a thing about dealing with woman. If you want, I might be able to give you some real advice."

Inu Yasha's eyes darted back and forth between the Miroku who was struggling to pull his face out of the floor boards, and Sango who was glaring at both of the men. He felt extremely confused.

"So I shouldn't give Kagome flowers?"

Sango's anger suddenly disappeared to be replaced by surprise. She had obviously not heard the part of the lecture when Miroku mentioned flowers. After thinking for a moment she replied to the question.

"Hmm… Flowers aren't that bad of an idea. The only problem was that the baka monk didn't think about the fact that you won't find any flowers this time of year. What you could do, however, is get Kagome a gift. I bet she would love it if you gave her a… what did she call it… A Christmas gift! Try coming up with something like that. I bet if we think about it for awhile we could come up with something you could give her. In fact…"

She paused and a strange look came over her. She suddenly opened her mouth again.

"Pervert!"

Miroku was once again smashed to the floor. Inu Yasha warily watched as Sango continued to beat Miroku with her boomerang and an occasional kick. He was not sure if it would be a wise idea taking romantic advice from the couple. Their idea of a relationship seemed to be a simple formula. Miroku does something perverted. Sango causes him bodily harm. Inu Yasha then allowed himself a small smile when he realized that his current relationship with Kagome was not much different. The main course of deviation was, that instead of doing something perverted, he was just a jerk, and Kagome's preferred means of causing him harm was a subduing spell instead of a weapon crafted from demon bone.

Then his mid began to work. Why did the two seem to show such concern? Traveling companions did not get involved in each other's personal lives. Allies in battle had no care of other people's relationships. He then thought of Sango and Miroku's suggestions, and for the first time since he had plunged into his despair, felt a faint flicker of hope. Sango and Miroku cared. Maybe there was a chance for their family. If he could only convince Kagome to spend just a small part of her Christmas in his time, it would be all he needed to convince himself that there was hope, that they were a family.

With an inaudible grunt Inu Yasha pulled himself up to his feet. Ignoring the ongoing bickering of the other two occupants of the room he walked to the door. With a glance he looked back to the two, his… family if he was right. He stepped through the doorway and took a deep breath of the cold winter air. A small breeze blew a steam of snow past his feats. It seemed so delicate so much like a spider web. With a renewed confidence Inu Yasha leapt off into the trees. If he remembered what Kagome had said about the holiday he was suppose to have the gift by Christmas Eve. That meant he had until the end of the day to find something.

Finale Note:

This chapter ended up being a bit more upbeat and uplifting than I had originally planned. It's probably just a side effect from being in such a good mood myself. The next chapter will probably be up either latter today (Saturday), if I have time, otherwise it probably will be out Tuesday evening. One finale thing. if anyone knows what the difference is between how counts words in a document and how office 2003 does it email me. Just for the hell of it I checked the word count in office, and it gave me a number about 500 words larger than the one listed on fanfiction. It's not that important, but it is bugging me.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note:

Okay. This chapter is definitely the longest yet. I also think that it's perhaps the best one so far. I really liked it. Enjoy.

Disclaimer:

I, in no way, shape, or form, own Inu Yasha or any of the materials and characters involved in said Anime/Manga.

**A Winter's Breeze**

**Chapter Four**

"He's not here?"

"I'm afraid not," the monk calmly replied.

"Where is he?"

"Unfortunently, I can not say that I know the answer to that question."

"Well then when is he going to get back?"

"Of that, I am also uncertain."

"What happened, did he just run off."

"Err. Sort of. We accidentally lost him while Sango and I were distracted with other matters."

A snort could be heard coming from the direction of the demon huntress.

"What do you mean you lost him!"

By now Kagome's eyebrow was twitching.

"Lady Kagome, there is no need to get upset. As long as Inu Yasha did not succumb to his fever, I am sure he will be just fine."

"Fever?"

"Well, yes. You see, Inu Yasha ended up catching a rather bad chill and became quite sick. However…"

"You mean to tell me that you just let a delirious Inu Yasha just wander away where he can get in who knows how much trouble!"

"Well, his fever wasn't…"

"Why are we standing around here? Come on. We have to look for him."

Miroku put a hand on each of Kagome's shoulders in an attempt to calm her down.

"Listen to me Lady Kagome. You have no need to worry. Do not let the antics of our dog-eared friend ruin your holiday. I give you my word as a gentleman that Inu Yasha will be perfectly fine."

"That would have been a lot more reassuring if you had left out the 'as a gentleman,'" Kagome mumbled at an inaudible level.

"Now lady Kagome, why don't you head back to your time, and we will take care of things here. I promise we'll find Inu Yasha. Oh, and when we do find him, would you like us to mention that you wished to talk to him?"

"I guess. Just tell him to come over to my time. If I'm not home when he shows up, tell him just to ask my mom to make him some hot-coco."

"Hot-coco?"

Kagome floundered a bit as she tried to think of away to explain it. Eventually she decided she would need to bring some in order to give them the idea. It still threw her for a loop whenever she tried to explain something from her time to her friends. When trying to bridge a five hundred-year gap in ideas and knowledge, complications were certain to arise. She also had to admit that she simply was not that talented at explaining things. As a result, her friends had grown accustomed to waiting for her to either bring pictures or examples of the things she mentioned.

Then she remembered Inu Yasha. He was a dog demon. Dogs were not supposed to have chocolate. But at the same time, it was really only really bad for them if they consumed a very large quantity. As another thought struck her, Kagome's face took on a concerned expression.

The questionable effects of a small quantity of chocolate as a result of his heritage were insignificant next to a much more important fact. Inu Yasha was sick. He was sick! The stubborn hanyou always talked about how much better demons were than humans. If he had a fever, it must have been really bad. _And Miroku just let him leave, and in this weather too._ Her face shifted to a combination of the concern over the half-demon and anger at the careless monk. Sango, may have been there at the time, but Kagome assumed that it was probably Miroku's 'problem' that had been distracting them. Miroku, sensing Kagome's growing hostility, decided to distract her.

"And do not worry. I am sure he will turn up by tomorrow morning."

Kagome let out a sigh. The tone of Miroku's voice told her that he was just as worried about the hanyou as she was. He may have goofed up, but he seemed sorry.

"Fine. I have to head back to my time. Remember to give Inu Yasha my message, and please try to find him soon. This is the first time that I've heard of a demon being susceptible to an illness, and I'm worried about him."

Sango chose that moment to attempt to soothe her friends' anxiety.

"Demon's actually get sick now and then. When you take into account their longer life spans they spend the same relative amount of time ill as humans do. Also, just like with humans, they can only catch a minor fever, or they can contract a life threatening disease."

When Kagome became visibly upset at the last part of Sango's lesson on the demon immune system Miroku decided to jump in.

"But not to worry. Lady Kaede insured us that Inu Yasha's fever was only minor, nothing life threatening."

He chuckled nervously at Kagome's glare. After a few more assurances that everything would be fine, Kagome finally reluctantly left the hut and headed back for the well. After the girl was out of earshot, Miroku made himself comfortable lying down on the floor of he hut. His hands had formed a small pillow behind his head, and the look on his face said that he meant to sleep. Sango gave him an inquisitive stare, that he failed to notice.

"Did you not just promise Kagome that you would look for Inu Yasha?" Sango said accusingly.

"My dear lady Sango," Miroku began while reclining on the ground in an attempt to get comfortable, "If Inu Yasha is searching for a preasent for lady Kagome, which I am almost positive he is, the we needn't do a thing. In a few hours, I can guarantee you that Inu Yasha will realize that even though he spent all of yesterday and this morning looking for a gift, he still hasn't a clue as to what to give her. At that point he will return here for our help. Until that happens there is nothing for us to do but relax."

"I think it would be best if I was the one to offer my services in selecting the present."

"Lady Sango, why ever would you say that?"

"There is the matter of the advice you were giving Inu Yasha the other day. If I am lucky I'll also be able to give him some real advice so that he forgets that garbage you fed him."

"Lady Sango, I'm hurt."

"It's the truth."

"Perhaps then you could give me some pointers?"

After a glare from the huntress Miroku ceased his talking and pulled his hand back. He thought he heard her mumble "pervert" under her breath, so he decided not to push matters at the moment.

Kagome sighed as she climbed up the rope ladder hanging from the top of the well. With a small grunt she pushed herself over the edge and took a moment to straighten her skirt. Until she realized that she was not wearing one. As per Inu Yasha's advice, she had decided to start dressing according to the weather. Instead of her normal school uniform, she was wearing black sweatpants and a navy blue v-neck sweater, and she had to admit, that the outfit was much warmer than what she usually wore when time traveling. She would have to be sure to thank Inu Yasha.

As she made her way back to the house her thoughts were running rapidly. Where was Inu Yasha? Even if he got her message, would he come to her time? Why was she so nervous about him visiting? But all of these questions were overshadowed by the largest one. This question had been plaguing her for several days. Just what in the world was she going to get Inu Yasha?

She had already done the rest of her gift shopping and had gotten something for everyone else. She planned to head back to the feudal era and give the others their gifts the day after Christmas, but she hoped to give Inu Yasha his on Christmas day. A part of her thought that he would not understand the gesture and would dislike the gift no matter what it was. She still wanted to put forth and effort though.

When she stepped through the door into the kitchen, her eyes met the clock. With a start she realized that it was only a half an hour until noon. She had less than six hours to shop for the hanyou's present. She had managed to convince her friends that she was well enough to handle their annual Christmas Eve party at a local pizza parlor. Every year they would go to the same place and have a blast. They would exchange small gifts but save the big ones for Christmas day. It was one of her favorite activities during the holiday season, eclipsed only by Christmas day itself. At first her friends had talked about canceling it because of whatever illness her grandfather had made up. She had been worried until she managed to convince them that she was healthy enough to manage one night of fun. Of course, she did need her rest, so the Christmas day get together was still at the shrine.

Kagome moved to the next room in search of her mother. She wanted to inform her that she was planning on taking the bus to the mall. She had thought of many potential gifts for the most important demon in her life, but all of them were only maybes.

She had considered just getting him ramen, but that did not seem special enough. She had also considered giving him an IOU for one week of shard hunting without complaints from her. She would let him use it once whenever he wished. Unfortunately, knowing Inu Yasha, he would probably save it until she had a lot of exams to study for. Her only other idea that he had come up with was buying him modern clothes from her time. She figured it could act as a sort of invitation for him to visit her time when they were not busy. However, she knew he would probably dislike the "stupid weird clothes," from her time. Besides it was not like he ever wore anything asides from his fire rat robes. She let out a heavy sigh. Maybe if she were lucky, she would see something that he would like.

In less than half an hour Kagome was at the mall window-shopping. All around her the tide of people ebbed and flowed. The girl let out a sigh of annoyance when someone jostled her. She was well aware she procrastinated too much, but she never thought that she would be one of those people desperately searching for a gift on Christmas day. She had a feeling she was going to need most of her available time if she was going to find a good gift. Not only did she have no idea what to get Inu Yasha, she knew she would end up stopping and getting extra gifts for other people if she saw stuff she liked.

The sound of laughing turned her head. She saw a small child sitting in the lap of a mall Santa. Soon a picture was taken by a photographer and handed to the parents. Kagome watched as the kid leapt out of Santa's lap and ran to his father. He jumped up and was caught in the man's arms. The boy's father then proceeded to twirl him around, eliciting even more laughter. As Kagome witnessed the father-son-moment, a tear that had welled up in her eye trickled down her face.

Her thoughts flew to the last Christmas she had with her father. It had been three years ago, only a month before he had succumbed to the cancer that had killed him before their eyes. When the Christmas season came, they had all been overjoyed to see how healthy he had become. They never knew if he really had been feeling better or just toughing it out to make the holiday happier. What she did know is that two weeks after Christmas he was rushed to the hospital and passed on that day.

She had been at school when it had happened. She never even had a chance to say goodbye. The memory of her loving father always made her sad. Not even the excitement of Christmas could cast away the dark shadow of his death.

She sat down on a bench as sobs racked her body.

"Inu Yasha!"

Sango turned to look at the hanyou that had brought forth the former exclamation from Miroku. Standing in the doorway was a very cold and very unhappy Inu Yasha. It appeared as if his clothes were frozen and ice was caked to his body and hair. His face had a large frown on it and was slightly blue. With an over exaggerated action he flung himself into a corner of the room to sulk. Carefully, very carefully, Sango decided to figure out just what happened.

"Inu Yasha, are you alright?" for a few moments there was nothing but silence, "Inu Yasha?"

"Feh."

"Are you all right?"

"FEH!"

"What happened?"

Sango could hardly hear Inu Yasha mumble something under his breath.

"I couldn't hear what you said."

The half-demon shot her an evil look before mumbling, "I said, I fell into a lake."

Miroku burst out laughing. Shippou stared in shock. Sango was confused.

"You what?"

"I fell into a lake. How hard is that to understand?"

"But."

"All right, I was on my way back when I decided to take a shortcut over a lake. I landed on the ice. The ice broke. I fell in the water. I got wet. There, Ya happy now?"

The laughter only increased as Shippou joined in. After a few minutes and a disapproving glare from Sango both Miroku and the fox demon calmed down. Inu Yasha's mood did not brighten one iota.

"You know Inu Yasha," Miroku momentarily broke of into a snort before continuing, "It's normally not a good idea to go swimming in cold water when you're till recovering from a fever."

Again he broke into laughter, which quickly died down chuckling and then trickled off completely due to the glare he was receiving from both Inu Yasha and Sango. When the monk was once again composed, he coughed slightly to break the awkward silence that had come after his joke and asked the question that had been on his mind since Inu Yasha had entered the room.

"So, I take it that you need our help coming up with a gift for lady Kagome."

The addressed half-demon did not say a word but only headed towards the door.

"Did you manage to find something?"

Inu Yasha turned his head and gave Miroku a dirty glare. However, Sango thought she saw a hint of a smirk behind his fowl mood. The setting sun shinning through the open door and around his figure made the demon look particularly nasty.

"Oh, Inu Yasha," he continued carefully, "Kagome came by this morning. She wanted you to go and visit her time. She said if she wasn't around just to ask her mom to let you come in her home."

The occupants of the room watched as Inu Yasha slowly nodded his head as if he had finally reached a decision after contemplating some matter. However, he stood in quiet for a moment before he fully came to his decision. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was out the door, leaping through the air towards the well. Miroku was not overly concerned, and Sango noted that he was still frozen and that his face was still blue, but his mood had lightened considerably.

Inu Yasha's nose sniffed the cold night air. Ordinarily, he would have found the chill refreshing. Unfortunately, at the moment, he was still numb from the previous cold. Rather than make him shiver, it simply lowered his temperature by a few degrees. Some part of his mind faintly registered the fact that he was indeed very cold. Unfortunately, Inu Yasha had long passed the point where he noticed such stimuli. A defense mechanism of the brain is to stop acknowledging an overwhelming stimulus. A person can loose a limb and not even notice at first. Likewise, a person can freeze to death while not necessarily noticing the discomfort of the cold. Inu Yasha's body was utilizing this mechanism, and he was fully aware of the fact. He was also aware of the inherent danger of remaining in the cold in his condition with a fever. Yet, he did not care.

Slowly he exited the well house. His eyes scanned the shrine grounds to ensure that they were vacant. After ensuring that he would not be spotted by any people from Kagome's time, Inu Yasha began creeping towards the God tree. Only the lingering traces of daylight still played in the winter sky, and the crimson glow of the sun still splayed brilliantly across the sky.

Kagome's scent was there, but it was several hours old. She had left the shine grounds after coming up from the well. Inu Yasha considered attempting to track the girl, but decided against it. The occasional snow that drifted down from above had covered the track and made it difficult to follow. There would also be all of the strange smells of Kagome's time to deal with as well. The fact that Kagome would get incredibly upset if he left the grounds had nothing to do with him not following her. At least, that is what Inu Yasha told himself.

The half-demon remembered the message he had been given. Kagome was not home, and thus, he was supposed to seek out her mother. However, Inu Yasha was uncertain if he was comfortable with the idea. He did not know the older lady that well, or at all. He was always confused about the manner in which he was expected to act when he was around her. The lady was, after all, just a pathetic human. At the same time though, she was Kagome's mother. Inu Yasha knew that if she did not wish to allow Kagome to travel back to his time, his life would become much more complicated one way or another. He also worried about how traditions had changed from his time. There was always the chance he would accidentally upset her.

He could never get a good handle on what Kagome's family thought of her traveling around with a hanyou. Kagome's brother seemed to adore him, while her grandfather definitely seemed to dislike him. Kagome's mother was… confusing, but Inu Yasha thought that she liked him. And of course Kagome… Kagome… He did not have a single clue when it came to Kagome.

While he stood in the middle of the shrine grounds thinking his options over, someone decided to take the choice away from him. His ears pivoted to the sound of a wooden door opening, and Inu Yasha turned his head to see Kagome's brother sticking his head out of the house. His eyes grew wide when he saw Inu Yasha standing almost at his front door. He opened his mouth and yelled for his hero to come in. The demon simply rolled his eyes and followed the boy into the house.

When the child saw Inu Yasha's frozen state he let out a start and immediately sat the hanyou in front of a crackling fire place and ran off to get something. Within minutes, Inu Yasha found himself wrapped up in a warm blanket drinking 'hot coco,' while listening to the boy talk. Kagome was at a party with her friends, and her mother was out taking care of some last minute things.

As his skin began to tingle with the warmth provided by Kagome's home, Inu Yasha began realizing just how cold he had been. The demon felt grateful for the care that Kagome's brother had shown him, even if he would never admit it. As time passed, Inu Yasha sat listening to the fire's gentle burning and sipping his coco. He had been skeptical at first, but it had actually turned out to be good.

That was when Inu Yasha realized that the room had been filled with silence for some time. His head turned around and saw Kagome's brother lying asleep on the couch. Even in his sleep, the boy seemed to watch the demon. _He fell asleep while making sure I was ok._ Inu Yasha allowed himself to smile. It was one of the few times that he had ever smiled, really smiled. He had no guard up and allowed himself to openly display his emotions. Perhaps it was simply because there was no one else around to see it, or perhaps it was that the kindness that Sota had show to him made Inu Yasha truly feel loved.

Inu Yasha rose from his place in front of the fire and silently crept to where the child lay sleeping. With great care he slowly wrapped the boy up in the blanket he had given him earlier. Then, Inu Yasha gently lifted him into his arms and made his way up the stairs. Using his nose, he tracked down the room that smelled most strongly of Kagome's brother. The hanyou then proceeded to place him into his bed. After ensuring that he was properly wrapped up he turned to leave.

Inu Yasha frowned when he saw what had been posted on the inside of the door of Sota's room. It looked a bit like one of those 'pictures' Kagome had taken with her weird device. The only difference was that the picture seemed to be made out of a different material and was many times larger. He scratched his head. If he was remembering things correctly, it was one of the pictures Kagome had taken of him. It had cost her a lot of ramen to get him to pose. But how did it get so big? Did Kagome's time have magic to make things grow? Perhaps he would try to find out from Kagome later.

Inu Yasha reentered the living room where the odd evergreen was. He looked at all of the oddly shaped packages sitting below it. _They must be those Christmas present things._ He slowly pulled something out of his clothes and stared at it. He had not known what Kagome had meant by wrapping and had guessed. He obviously had screwed up again. The gifts under the tree were all wrapped neatly in some type of shiny paper. The small item in his hand was misshapen, and wrapped in red silk cloth. A string messily held the whole thing together.

He realized that he should never have wasted his time with looking for a gift in the first place. He had done it wrong. It was the same thing over and over again. He could never seem to do anything right. Kagome was a prime example of his incompetence. Whatever he said or did always hurt her. He gazed at his gift with disgust. He was such an idiot.

But maybe there was a chance she would understand. He was not from her time after all. His line of thought was cut of as he once again looked at the pile of presents. No! There was no way she would like it. Compared with the gifts that her _real_ friends and family had gotten her, his present was garbage. He set the gift on a corner table as if afraid to touch it. She would laugh. She would hate it.

He stared around the room and shifted nervously. Perhaps ten minutes had passed, and he was still alone in the room. Every moment he stayed his mood worsened. He needed to think. He went outside to the god tree and jumped up to a high branch to rest. His clothes had dried some time ago, so he no longer felt discomfort from the cold. As his thoughts drifted, he remembered his other gift that had been prompted by Miroku's original suggestion. There was a chance they would still work.

Kagome sighed. It was late and cold. Normally she did not mind the cold of winter. Despite the discomfort it gave, it also brought with it so much beauty. However, that night she was tired. She and all her friends had stayed late partying. Even normally, the event would have been exhausting, but she had the added stress of worrying about Inu Yasha. After the party had wound down, several of the chaperones had offered to drive her home. However, it was only a short walk from the pizza place, so she had declined their offer. Of course, Hojo, ever the gentleman, had insisted that he at least walk her to the shrine.

As they had made their way to her home, they chatted about common things. The topic of conversation never hit anything important, but Kagome was annoyed at the frequency at which her illness came up. It just reminded her how bad of a liar her grandfather was. The snow had begun to gently fall around them. It swirled in an elegant dance amongst the night. When her gaze drifted upward she saw a black sky dotted with white specs of snow.

_I hope Inu Yasha is all right._ She decided that if Inu Yasha was not at her house, she would wait till after the Christmas celebrations were over to head back to the feudal era. He was a demon after all, and her friends had assured her that he would be fine. Soon, she had convinced herself that there was not a need to worry about Inu Yasha's health.

It was not long before they had reached her front doorstep, just underneath a branch of the god tree. The two of them stood for several awkward moments while neither of them said a word. _Why hasn't he said anything? Is he expecting to get a kiss!_ Her head turned when she thought she heard something rustling in the branches of the god tree. As she was turning her head back to Hojo, she realized what they were standing beneath.

"A… a mistletoe…"

When she saw the faint blush on Hojo's cheeks and the direction of his eyes, she knew he had seen it as well. Timidly, he leaned in to give her a kiss. Kagome's mind went wild. It did not seem as if he just wanted a peck on the cheek, not with the way he had his eyes closed. Could she let him kiss her? It was just an innocent tradition, but it would be her first kiss. Did she want it to be with Hojo? It was the least she could give him considering how many times she had blown him off, but she did not have any real feelings for her classmate. There was someone else she would much rather be standing under the mistletoe with, but he would never…

Her thoughts ceased as Hojo's lips touched hers. At first, she just stood as still as stone, not daring to even flex a muscle. However, after a moment she gave into the temptation of pleasure and allowed Hojo to deepen the kiss. She did return it, but just barely. She did not know how long it lasted, but when it broke, she was out of breath. However, it had not been a passionate kiss; it had been a shy and clumsy one.

She stared in shock and just stood in place. Both Hojo and Kagome developed a blush that may have melted the nearby snow. She watched as Hojo bowed and quickly apologized before running off. She opened the door and stepped inside her house while rubbing her lips with her fingers. It had definitely felt good, but did she like it? At the time it had felt right. Her conscious then made her feel guilty. It had felt right because she had not been kissing Hojo. She had started enjoying it after she had begun to imagine that it was Inu Yasha's lips pressed against hers. _I have no right to use that poor boy like that. He shouldn't have apologized. It's me who should have said sorry._

As she entered the kitchen, with her thoughts awhirl, she noticed the quite. Her mother must still have been out, and her brother must have already gone to sleep. A frown crinkled Kagome's face as she noticed the trash can. It was only half full, but it needed to be emptied. Kagome was looking for anything to get her mind preoccupied. She lifted the bag out of the can and placed a new one in it. After she had the bag tied shut she made her way back out the door.

With a small grunt she hefted the bag into the garbage can on the side of her house. She shivered slightly as a breeze rushed past her neck. It sent a chill down her spine. With a start she stopped beneath the god tree. Lying in a pile was a bouquet of some of the most beautiful flowers she had ever seen, marred only by the damage they had incurred. It appeared as if someone had accidentally stepped on them either going to or leaving from the shrine. Her frown lightened when she found one flower that was still intact.

It was by far the most beautiful flower she had ever seen. At a glance it appeared to be pure white, just like the glittering snow. When she took a closer look though, she saw that it had a silver and blue tint to it. However, the most beautiful aspect of the flower was another similarity it had with snow. It seemed to glitter in the light as she turned it to inspect it. She gasped as she watched the light reflect off of the petals in tiny specs. Kagome had never seen anything like it before. Her previous problem completely forgotten, she headed inside to find a small vase to attempt to preserve the flower. In her haste, she failed to notice that the steps that had crushed the flowers continued to the well house.

Finale Note:

Ok. That's it. So, how did you all like it? The next chapter should be up by Saturday. I think the story is probably going to be another nine thousand words or so, but that is not set in stone. Within the next week I will probably write up the first chapter to another story I had an idea for as well. Just out of curiosity. Are people looking for a happy or sad ending to this? I already have everything laid so it won't have any affect to the outcome of the story (unless a lot of people complain one way or the other, then I would consider also writing an alternative ending.) I was just curious. And no, I am not going to say whether I plan on giving it a happy ending or not. That is all, so until next time.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note:

Well, I noticed some small errors in the previous chapters, such as spelling final finale, or leaving out apostrophes. If I have time, I will probably fix them. Anyway, here is the next chapter. It's a bit shorter and may be of a lower quality (explanation in final note), but I apologize for that and any random errors you may notice. Though, I hope you all enjoy it.

Disclaimer:

I, in no way, shape, or form, own Inu Yasha or any of the materials and characters involved in said Anime/Manga.

**A Winter's Breeze**

**Chapter Five**

Another tree cracked and splintered, falling to the mighty force that opposed it. A red blur dashed through the forest, leaving a path of destruction in it wake. Dozens of trees had been felled or damaged badly. The illusion of death and despair that winter sometimes projected was only a mirror shadow of what was felt by the being rampaging through the forest.

Inu Yasha slammed into another tree, reducing it to nothing but splinters. Each attack hit harder than the last. His fury was building at an unbelievable rate. Every few moments as his memories touched certain subjects, his eyes would flash the crimson color of blood. However, the undeterred anger merely masked the other emotion flowing through his veins, utter despair. He had been deceived, betrayed. The dagger that had been stabbed through his heart hurt far more than Kikyo's arrow ever did. Now, he truly had nothing. His breathing was coming heavily, and beneath the rush of adrenalin his body was nearly exhausted.

_"God damn it. How long can this 'party' thing take?"_

_Inu__ Yasha repositioned himself in the branches of the God tree. He had been waiting for what had seemed like hours. At first he had been content idllely watching the snow drift by. Kagome's time was much more peaceful than his. He did not have to worry about the constant threat of an attack and could let himself just relax. The falling snow had even done something to mask the horrid scent that permeated the air of her time. _

_At first it had been just fine. He had still been warm from being inside earlier, and the branch he had found was perfect. Inu Yasha was able to allow himself the luxury of letting his guard down and drifting off into oblivion. He sat like that for quite some time until he hit upon a certain line of thought, Kagome. He had no clue as to what he planned to say or do. As time ticked on, the hanyou continued to become more and more nervous as he thought about the coming conversation._

_His imagination was running wild with all of the possibilities that existed. He played various scenarios through his mind. Some were good. In one of them he even kissed Kagome and she returned it. Other's had them simply watching the snow fall together. But his own self doubt and nervousness created many images that he shuddered from, Kagome rejecting his gift, her laughing at him, her hating him._

_It was not long before the anxiety running through his body had placed him at full alert. Inu Yasha's was even tenser than in his own time. Earlier, he had been fine with waiting patiently, but now he had about reached his limits. He fidgeted nervously and every few moments he would reposition himself on his branch. His one hand absently held the Tetsusaiga in an attempt to sooth his frazzled nerves. Inu Yasha glanced at what he held clutched in his other hand. His idea for a present may not have been good, but he was fairly certain she would like Miroku's suggestion. After all, Sango had even agreed with it to a degree._

_"Of course she suggested the Christmas gift idea, and that turned out just wonderfully," he said to himself with an ironic tone._

_His thoughts reflected once again on what he would do when Kagome returned. His first gift was a joke. He would not even bother giving it to her. However, based on the advice he received she should like his second present, so he would give it to her. Then she would decide to spend the part of the next day with him in his time. She would show them all how to celebrate Christmas. They would be a family._

_His ears suddenly shot to attention as he picked up noises coming from the shrine entrance. The anxiety he had felt increased by ten fold when he placed the noise as Kagome's voice. Any and all plans he had conceived immediately flew out of his mind. His nose twitched for a moment, and then it twitched again. He had picked up her scent, but there was something wrong._

_She was with a human, a human boy! Their scents were intermingled as if they had been in close proximity for the past several hours. Then he heard him. The bastard was talking to Kagome! He seemed to talk so familiarly with his Kagome. Kagome said his name. It was Hojo; he had heard her mention it before. All anxiety was quickly replaced by a rising anger. So distracted was the half-demon that he failed to even realize that he had refeared to the young miko as 'his' in his thoughts._

_He rose so that he was kneeling on the branch so that he could see their forms. Why were they walking so close together? It was not long before they had reached the front door of Kagome's house. Was Kagome blushing? They had been silent for a few moments, so Inu Yasha decided to creep farther out on the branch until he was practically above their heads. When he accidentally brushed against another branch and made some noise, Kagome turned her head to where he was hidden. She failed to notice him, and he continued to watch with a morbid fascination._

_Then his world came crashing down._

_Inu__ Yasha stared in utter shock as the two objects of his observation locked in a kiss. A horror unlike any he had ever felt. Not even Naraku could inspire such a dread in his heart. Whatever hope he had, whatever was light was left burning in his soul, was extinguished in an instant the moment he saw Kagome returning the kiss. He shook his head back and forth in denial._

_Everything was over._

_He could not deny it. He was nothing to Kagome. How could he have ever hoped to compete when she had nice men from her time to go to? How did he ever let himself deceive himself into thinking that the girl held any affection for him? It was all a damnable lie! He had no one who loved him. He had no family. He did not even have a friend. Miroku was no friend. The cursed monk had merely perpetuated the lie. The people he had thought were friends were simply an enemy. They were an enemy of a much more insidious kind. They were the type that takes pleasure in their opponents suffering, and the fact that their victim is ignorant as to the identity of their true torturer. _

_But without them, without her, he had nothing. He was nothing. It no matter longer mattered whether he lived or died. No one would care either way, but in death, he would not have to deal with the pain the racked his tortured soul. The only thing he wished before he threw off the earthly restraints imposed on his soul by his body was to tear apart that boy. That… that Hojo, he had shattered Inu Yasha's dream, false though it may have been, just as he had realized his true feelings. He could not kill him though. If Kagome loved him, Inu Yasha could not make her suffer like that. He did not want to hurt her. The pain was his to bear. It was an unbelievable pain._

_The boy was gone, and Kagome was inside. Inu Yasha dropped down from the tree to the ground. He took a look at the flowers he had worked so hard to gather. Barely silencing a yell, he threw them to the ground. Then he did the only thing he could. He ran._

"How did you even know I wanted this!" a voice screeched in joy.

"Well you only mentioned it about a hundred times," came the dry reply.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much Kagome."

Kagome sat on the couch in her living room along with all of her friends. Earlier that morning her family had opened all of their gifts, and now the friends were exchanging presents. Her mom had just set down a plate of cookies and milk and left them to enjoy themselves. One of Kagome's friends had just opened the present she had gotten her. It had been something she had been wanting for months. Kagome was smiling brightly at making her friend happy.

"It wasn't anything. Compared to what you got me it was no big deal."

"Well with you being sick all the time, the least I could do was get you a nice gift."

Kagome's smile faded slightly. Because of the lies that were used to prevent people from becoming suspicious, her friends had all felt bad for her. They had all decided to spend a lot of money on her and purchase expensive gifts. The time, thought, and money that had been put behind their presents were much more than what she had spent. She felt a wave of guilt.

Her mood dropped even more when she thought about Inu Yasha. He had not come. She was not too concerned about his health. Miroku had assured her that the demon would be fine, and in these types of matters he was dependable. Still, the hanyou had not come. He was probably still mad, or maybe he did not even care. The idea that he did not care only served as even more of a dampener on her moods. Kagome had really hoped that she could celebrate some part of Christmas with Inu Yasha. She had even finally found a gift. Now it would probably just sit in her closet. If he did not care enough to come when she asked, then there would be no way he would like the gift. Her former smile completed its metamorphosis into a frown.

"Kagome, are you all right?"

"What?" her replie was groggy as she was startled out of her thoughts.

"Oh no! You're getting sick again, and just after you've been so healthy this week too."

"No, no, I'm fine. I really am. It's just I feel so guilty about all these nice presents you've all gotten me," Kagome covered with a nod of her head towards the pile of gifts."

"Don't worry about it Kagome, and definitely don't let it make you sick."

"Yea it was no big deal."

"What are friends for anyways."

"Thanks guys, I'm glad I have you all."

Suddenly the girls were all together in a big hug. Sota who was passing through the room simply rolled his eyes. One of the girls started crying, and Kagome's eyes shot open when she heard the girl say something about hoping Kagome does not die from her cancer. _GRANDPA!_ Kagome would have to have a talk with the elderly man once everyone had left. The girl who was crying suddenly stopped when her eyes caught something.

"Who's present is that?"

All the eyes in the room turned towards a small package that was sitting on the table. Kagome slowly stood up and walked towards the present. She delicately picked it up and turned it over in her hands. It was very oddly shaped. Whatever was inside had most likely not been placed in a box before being wrapped. The oddest thing though was the wrapping itself.

Instead of wrapping paper, a silk cloth had been used. It was a beautiful predominantly red fabric with designs woven into it. The feel of it was smooth and soft. Tied around the whole package was a string to keep it from falling open. The string was a blue color that contrasted wonderfully with the wrapping. After she was done examining it, she realized that it lacked any form of tag or card. She held it up to each of her friends to see if any of them would acknowledged it belonging to them. They all shook their heads.

"Open it Kagome."

"But what if it isn't for me? I can't open some one else's gift."

"Just open it."

"Yea, come on. It's probably for you anyway.'

"Even if it isn't we can just rewrap it. Open it Kagome.

Kagome let out a sigh of defeat. Her friends had surrounded her so that they could see the gift. Kagome knew she would not be leaving the room until she opened it. She let herself sit back down on the couch and situated the present on the floor in front of her. Slowly she pulled the string to remove the knot. Everyone held their breaths in anticipation. They all had a feeling it would be something big. They did not know if it was just the unique and beautiful way in which it had been wrapped, or if it was something else.

Kagome's friends all gasped in surprise at the package's content. As the silk fell away, it revealed within it a beautiful necklace. The necklace was made out of silver, but there were patterns engraved in it that had been filled with gold. Embedded in it were sparkling sapphires. Their blue perfection shown at the girls. The jewelry must have easily cost a fortune. Not only was there the gold and silver, there were the jewels themselves. They had many facets that seemed to cut at just the right angles to catch the light. They alone were most likely worth an unbelievable amount of money. Them there was also the craftsman ship of the item. The entire thing had been made by an incredibly skilled hand.

"Sota!" Kagome's voice called with a slight waver.

The boy stuck his head through the door and looked expectantly at his sister.

"Do you know who's this is," she said motioning towards the wrappings and gift.

"Wow… That's really pretty, but no, I don't know who…" the child paused a minute while thinking, "Wait I think I might know. Inu Yahsa, yea, Inu-no-oniichan might have dropped it off when he came yesterday night."

"Who's Inu Yasha?"

"Wait! Is he your secret boyfriend?"

"Wow, he must really be loaded to afford that."

"Oniichan! Wait, Kagome, how serious are you two?"

Kagome spoke over all the conversation that had broken out, "WHAT! Inu Yasha came by and you didn't tell me? When did he leave?"

All day she had been worried about the hanyou. If he was safe and why he had not come had dominated the list of her concerns. She had been fretting about giving him his gift because she had been worried that he would think it was stupid. Then all the sudden, she finds out he had come. He had given her a gift! At the moment she was very angry at a certain younger brother of hers.

Sota looked around nervously. He could feel the anger radiating off of his older sister. It was best to answer and explain himself before she started _really_ yelling. He would have to talk fast though if he did not want her interrupting him.

"He did come over. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. He left after I went to sleep. When I woke up and he was not here and you didn't mention him, I figured you had gotten into another fight and wouldn't want me to remind you about it."

Kagome's anger lessened slightly. While her brother had not told her, it was out of concern for her, not forgetfulness. However, she was confused. Inu Yasha had come and dropped off a present. Why would he leave without saying anything to either her or at least Sota? She wondered if she had just missed Inu Yasha. It was probably a good thing that he had left, whatever the reason was, because he had missed her kiss with Hojo. He would have gone ballistic if he had even suspected that it had happened.

Kagome's thoughts screeched to a halt. Her entire body stood still and her mouth hung slightly open as her mind flew back to the other night. _The noise in the god tree.__ Those flowers!_ Her face turned pale as she came to a realization. Inu Yasha _had_ seen the kiss. The young miko bolted upright and ran to the front door. She ignored all the questions of her friends. Let her grandfather explain it, he was good at making up ridiculous stories. She barely paused to grab a coat and slip on shoes before blasting out the door towards the well house. She needed to explain to Inu Yasha. He would be so angry, so it was important that she clear the matter up as soon as possible. It was a mere matter of moments before she was down the well.

Final note:

Ok. Not as good as the previous chapters, but I think it is good considering that I have gotten maybe a combined total of seven hours of sleep in the past three nights. I hope you all enjoyed it, and if anyone is wondering I will probably post the first chapter of my new story Sunday night or Monday morning. The next chapter of _A Winter's Breeze_ will be posted this next Saturday. I hope everyone has a good Easter weekend.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note:

Ok. My life was really hectic this last week. One of the small things that happened was that the main board of my brand new, top of the line notebook computer died on me. So, all my files and work are trapped on it until it gets back from the factory. I managed to retype this chapter and I think it is just as good as the original. It ended up being shorter, but I think it is better. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: 

I, in no way, shape, or form, own Inu Yasha or any of the materials and characters involved in said Anime/Manga.

**A Winter's Breeze**

**Chapter Six**

Wood splinters flew through the air as his fist hit their mark again. A moment later, another crack was heard, and another, and another. The ground around the base of the god tree was littered with chunks of wood that had been broken free by Inu Yasha's furious fists. A large crack ran vertically up the trunk of the ancient tree. For some time the half demon had been mindlessly pounding his fist into the spot where he had once been sealed. The tree was strong, but it was slowly giving way to Inu Yasha's wrath.

_Stupid tree._

Inu Yasha's fist struck again. His eyes flashed red for a brief moment despite the fact that his father's sword was strapped to his side. He pulled back his right fist as he lashed out with his left.

_God damn stupid tree._

Again, his fists hit their mark. This time, there was another large crack. Only, it was not the god tree. A bone in the hanyou's hand had been crushed against the impossibly hard wood. He slowly pulled his arm back to his side. Pain shot up through his entire arm. 

_If it wasn't for you, Kikyou's arrow would have just killed me._

Inu Yasha ignored the pain and threw another punch. The majority of the bones in his hands were broken, shattered beyond recognition. If anything the pain was a welcome relief. It was nothing compared to the searing burning within his soul. But the more physical distress he caused himself, the more he found himself distracted from his thoughts.

_Why didn't you just let me die?_

As his fist pulled away from the last punch, it could be seen that the area on the tree was stained red. The blood flowing from the laceration on his hand had coated the wood. All around him, the once white snow showed brilliant crimson spots. With each attack, blood flew with the wood splinters.

He relished in the experience. As he continued his assault on the tree, he began to sink into oblivion. The air was filled with a curious smell. The snow had left the clearing around the tree smelling pure and natural. However, now the smell was laced with the taint of his own sweat, blood, and tears.

The pain continued to well up as he proceeded to pulverize his fists and the god tree. It would not be long before he had broken every bone in his hands. Inu Yasha was uncertain if even his superior healing would be able to properly repair the damage he was causing. He did not care though. With the pain came release. It was a distraction from the greater pain that he felt. The pain of living, the pain Kagome had caused. 

It did not matter though. There was a nothingness that was engulfing his heart. Soon it would engulf his entire being. He knew it would be easiest if he simply embraced the nothingness. If he allowed himself to drift off into oblivion without a fight. He so longed for eternal rest. 

But something stopped him from taking that means of escape, and it infuriated him that he did not know what it was. The entire concept seemed cowardly to him. It stank of weakness. He had never liked giving up. However, the fact of the matter was that he was weak. If he was strong, he would not have to try and ignore the pain. If he was strong, he would be able to face the pain. 

However, that was not the reason why he did not escape into the darkness. At least it was not the only reason. There was also Naraku. Inu Yasha could not leave the world while the bastard still lived. Not only did he owe it to the evil demon, if he left Naraku to do as he pleased, then the beast would end up hurting Kagome.

Kagome. She was his other reason for not surrendering to the darkness. The miko had been the one to cause him more hurt than he could possibly imagine, but he was uncertain if he would be able to stand never seeing her again, never hearing her laugh. At the same time, would he be able to even bear seeing her again, being reminded of his pain.

Unfortunately, he did not really have a choice. He could not leave Kagome. If he did, she would end up getting hurt by some demon. He would have to protect her, even if he could never have her. He would have to hold back the pain and anguish. It would be his cross to carry, and he would just deal with it, some how.

It would be like that, only until Naraku was defeated. Once that was over, he would end the pain. He would not go to hell with Kikyo. The undead priestess would be too great of a reminder of Kagome. Instead, he would deal with things himself. Inu Yasha made a decision. He would take himself to the next life when he knew Kagome would be safe. Until them, he would try to ease his own pain.

  
***

Miroku continued making his way through the forest. They had been all been talking when the worst cry he had ever heard shattered the peace. The wail had been full of anguish and pain. However, there was also anger and hate in the scream. Whatever the cause of the yell, it had been let out by some type of demon. There was no way a human could have made such a hellish noise. The monk felt pity for whatever creature had been the one to release the yell. He could hardly imagine how tormented its soul must be.

He had been walking towards the origin of the sound for some time. He wanted to make sure there was nothing that could threaten the village. However, with each step he took, Mioku became more and more nervous. He had begun following a path of destruction. Something had leveled all of the trees along his course. It was eerily familiar to the devastation Inu Yasha left whenever he was truly angry.

However, it could not be Inu Yasha. The half demon had gone to Kagome's time. Even if the two had gotten into some type of fight and the hanyou had come back, there was nothing that could have caused Inu Yasha to yell like that. Miroku contemplated that nothing short of the miko's death could cause Inu Yasha such pain. It could not be Inu Yasha. For the sake of his friend he hoped he was right.

Miroku's conviction that the cry of anguish had simply come from some random demon waned as he continued his trek. The path of destruction was, for the most part, a straight line. It appeared to run straight from the well to the god tree. As he approached the enormous tree, fear began to well up inside of him. It was a fear of what he might find. After the initial screams had subsided, there had been no follow up noises. Within moments, he would be at the tree, and his questions would be answered. Unfortunately, his imagination was running wild with all of the possibilities. None of them eased his soul at all.

Miroku stepped into the clearing that contained the god tree. He restrained a gasp when he noticed the sight before him. Chunks of wood lay scattered throughout the clearing. A huge gash ran down the god tree's trunk. Leaning against the tree was the one thing he had hoped not to find. The figure dressed in red had his head turned away from Miroku and was facing the tree. The hanyou had his arms outstretched as if frozen in a punch. His fists rested against the scared wood, and his head was bowed low. He stood not moving a muscle.

Miroku's eyes widened as he took in the rest of the field. There was blood all over! The snow was not just splattered with it; it was completely soaked with the scarlet fluid. Miroku wondered just how long Inu Yasha had been at the tree, he had lost track of the time. There was so much blood. He shook his head in denial. Whatever had driven Inu Yasha to such extremes could mean nothing good. Something horrible must have happened. His heart filled with terror as he prayed that the young miko was safe. Miroku's only condolence in the situation was that Inu Yasha still had his demon sword. If the hanyou had not been in possession in it when whatever had occurred happened, Miroku could only imagine the tragedy that may have occurred.

Miroku was still stunned. The sight before him was hard to take in. The monk was hesitant as to what course of action to take. He had too little information to make a proper decision. He involuntarily took a step back as he briefly considered giving his friend some time alone. That would not do at all. Inu Yasha obviously had already taken time by himself. Now he needed his friends. He had made the decision before his foot even finished with its back step.

Unfortunately, when he was done shifting his weight, a twig snapped under his feet. Miroku froze when he noticed that Inu Yasha had heard it. The half demon's head slowly raised and turned towards the monk. His body hardly moved so that he was looking over his shoulder. Miroku could not hold in a gasp of shock and disbelief.

_No! Impossible._

Miroku watched as his friend turned completely turned towards him. The thing before him, he could not think of him as Inu Yasha, rose a clawed hand in front of his face and smiled wickedly. Something was wrong with the hand. It looked all broken and twisted, like something had mangled it. However, Miroku realized it was still very deadly when the demon flexed his claws. 

He raised his staff to defend himself. Miroku did not know if he would be able to bring himself to strike any blows. Even if he could, he doubted they would penetrate his foes defenses. There was a sudden blur, and then the red figure was directly in front of him. He cried in pain as something tore apart his chest. It felt as if his very being had been ripped in two. The world around him began to spin.

Where was he? He had felt himself hit something hard. Now everything looked so different. A foot stepped in front of his field of view. So he was on the ground. He tried to move his eyes up, to see who the foot belonged to. However, he lacked the strength and only caught a glimpse of red before his vision fell back to the ground.

He idly wondered why the snow was so dark. Even taking into account its red stain, it was unnaturally dark. The sun was still out, so why was everything so dark. All around him the world seemed covered in shadow. The edges of his vision began to fade. He did not feel pain any more. Everything was numb, it felt almost blissful. He could not even feel the curse biting his hand. He wanted to shiver, the snow felt so cold. His body felt like it was going to freeze, but something in his mind told him that there was nothing he could do to warm up. 

Miroku was so tired and could hardly see now. He decided he would go to sleep. He would take a short nap. He knew there was something he was supposed to do, something important he had left undone. He would take a short nap and then take care of it, if he could remember what it was. He knew something was wrong, but he felt so tired.

His breathing slowed and became shallower. His heart beat slower, almost for no purpose, as each beat only spilled more blood on the ground. His vision faded to black as he allowed himself to drift of into a peaceful slumber. He could feel warmth coming over his body. Even though he was surrounded by darkness he felt a light shinning ahead of him. He lacked the breath to speak, but as his body stopped moving, his mouth moved, in a last attempt to form the words he could never say.

_Sango__… I love you._

Finale note:

            It was going to be longer, but I figured that was a good point to leave off. I'll have an update at least by next Saturday, but possibly by sometime during the week if I have time. When I wrote this chapter, I had a brilliant idea of another direction I could take this story, but I need more input. My old idea and my new one are both equally good. I'm not going to say what they are because I do not want to influence people's opinions. As for the other story I said I was going to publish, that will be up when I get my laptop back.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note:

Let us just start off by saying that I am a bad and evil person. There is no excuse for me making people wait two years for this, so I am not going to bother giving explanations. All I am going to say is that I am incredibly sorry to everyone I made wait who like this story. This chapter is dedicated to everyone who sent me an email during this long period or a message or left a review. Your numbers are small but you know who you are.

I am already working on the next chapter as we speak. I have also planned out several other stories I am going to be writing. Previews may be included with the next chapter, which I swear, will be out in at least a week from now. I am going to shoot for sometime this weekend.

If sometime in the future I seem to disappear again, just keep bugging me. Once again I am sorry. Also I apologize if my writing style has changed over the years. I have tried to keep it as similar to the original story as possible but it is still different, though I hope for the better.

Enjoy the story; I hope it was worth the wait.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Inu Yasha or any related characters or material.

**A Winter's Breeze**

**Chapter 7**

Kagome dashed through the freshly made clearing. The path of destruction Inu Yasha had left was obvious to anyone. She simply hoped he could find the hanyou before he did something stupid.

As she neared the god tree nearly out of breath she tripped over an errant root. When she looked up the bottom fell out of her heart. Beneath the protective branches of the god tree Sango was curled up around the figure of someone who could only be Miroku. Every so often a strangled sob seemed to rack her body.

A small force hit her in the chest as she felt Shippou leap up into her arms. He was sniffling and failing to contain his tears.

"It must be one of Naraku's tricks… It just has to be."

That was all Kagome could make out before Shippou stuffed his face into her shirt and began crying. The young school girl felt sick. She did not want to know what Shippou was talking about. She hoped with everything she had that he was just talking about the still form of their friend. However, she knew that it was not the case.

"Shippou… what's a trick? Where's Inu Yasha? Please Shippou, you need to be strong."

Shippou's reply tore away Kagome's hope that her suspicion was wrong.

"All I can smell is… all I can smell is Inu Yasha and Miroku. When we got here, he was standing at the edge of the clearing…" Shippou broke into sobbing before continuing, "He ran off when he saw us. Inu Yasha wouldn't have k… wouldn't… done that to Miroku. It had to me Naraku."

At this Kagome fell to her knees, desperately holding the kit as if her life depended on it, perhaps it did. Tears racked her body as she began to join her friends in morning. Shippou's words confirmed her worst fears. Miroku was dead, dead by Inu Yasha's hands. The kit thought it was Naraku, but he did not know that state Inu Yasha must have been in.

It was her fault. It was all her fault. She did not understand anything and had driven Inu Yasha to this. The monk had been killed by her hands as much as by the demons. She would share in the responsibility of the deed. _How could this happen…_

She was paralyzed with fear, anger, sorrow, but most of all guilt. Her mind was still working in a confused daze. They had all come in danger of dying many times before, but it had never become a reality. She had always thought, perhaps foolishly, that they would all come out of their quest alive and happy, that it was all like a story book.

The guilt was almost unbearable and increased ten fold when she looked at her friend curled around the monks body. She could see now that the cold had turned his skin a blue tint, and his lips had transformed into a purple matching his robes.

What made the guilt worse though was the fact that she knew it was the strongest emotion that she was feeling. She knew that first and foremost she should morning her lost companion, the monk who was like a second brother to her. Instead she was wrapped up in her own selfish desire to feel responsible for the tragedy. It simply led to a downward spiral that led her further and further into a gapping darkness.

It can be strange how the mind can work sometimes. When pushed to such extreme limits it will begin to think of strange things. It will do anything to attempt to derail itself in order to save itself from self destruction. The mind will even begin to contemplate things that in the end only worsen its situation, simply because it can find temporary reprieve in them.

Kagome now found herself thinking about Sango. Her friend looked like she was destroyed. She hardly moved next to the monk, and if one did not look carefully, they could easily make the mistake of thinking that she had died with her love. Kagome wondered if that was her plan. She wondered if Sango hoped to just lie there until the cold drew her life away.

Kagome would not allow that. She was uncertain if she could stop Sango, if the hunter no longer had the will to live, but she would do her best. This sudden resolve temporarily banished the guilt that was swallowing her heart. It was still there, but her friends need was acting as a life raft that would keep her afloat. With newfound strength she began to push herself up to her feet.

She suddenly jerked to a halt as a thought came unbidden to her. She looked at the fox demon still crying in her arms. He knew the truth, even if he tried to deny it, blaming it on Naraku. Did Sango know the truth? Would she realize it? More importantly, could Kagome look her friend in the eye knowing what she had done?

More and more questions spun through Kagome's mind. _What will Inu Yasha do when he realizes what he has done?_ A dark thought entered Kagome's mind. Maybe Inu Yasha knew perfectly well what he was doing. Maybe he enjoyed it; he was part demon after all. Kagome shook her head at this. Inuyahsa was a good person. Miroku was his friend. _Inu Yasha will be crushed, perhaps as bad as Sango is now_. Kagome knew one of the hanyou's greatest fears was of accidentally hurting his friends.

Would Sango seek revenge if she did discover the truth? This loss had already greatly hurt their group, but would it tear them apart and destroy them? Kagome shook her head again as tears continued to run down her face. Now was not the time to be worrying about such things. Sango needed to be comforted.

Once things were a bit more calm, once Kagome could work up the courage to look Sango in the face, she would tell her the truth and await her judgment. It was only fair that it would be Sango who would decide on how to treat this transgression. Kagome knew that it was not fair of her, that the burden would only further hurt Sango. However, Kagome did not care. She herself could not deal with it.

With jerking steps Kagome stumbled over towards Sango, towards the sea of red snow. All the while the darkness was clawing at her trying to drag her down. She knew if she relented she might be unable to continue. Shippou's whimpered cries of, "Miroku, Inu Yasha," and with a trace of anger "Naraku," had slowly died down and Kagome could feel the demon sleeping against her chest. Kagome considered waking the child up, as his occasionally sob gave her an indication of the type of dreams he must be having. However, Kagome knew that the waking world would offer him no more comfort than the land of dreams.

With her strength almost completely exhausted she fell down besides the demon slayer and wrapped her up in her arms. She could feel the bloody snow soaking into her clothes, staining them in the same way her heart was stained. Her fiend did not say anything did not move, her sobbing had stopped at some point. Kagome pulled the slayer into her lap and embraced her in a hug some care being taken not to crush Shippou.

"It's… It's going to be ok Sango."

Her words were stupid, she knew that. Things were not going to be ok. Miroku was gone, nothing could change that. He had been killed by her and Inu Yasha's hands. Once Sango knew that nothing would be able to heal the rift that would from between them. However, at that moment, Sango's soul crushing grief was all that mattered. And all Kagome could say was, 'It's going to be ok.' It was a pathetic lie and a pathetic attempt to offer comfort, but it was the best Kagome could do.

Upon hearing Kagome's shaken words Sango suddenly snapped back to life. Her eyes opened wide, as if seeing Kagome for the first time. For all Kagome knew, it might have been the first note the slayer had taken of her presence. Even though she was already in the untrained priestesses arms, she flung herself at Kagome with all her strength, nearly toppling them both to the ground. There was a muffled cry of protest as Shippou was smushed between them, and Sango began weeping into Kagome's shoulder.

"Shippou said… Inu Yasha… Miroku's… Oh gods."

Sangos wailing cry made Kagome want to winch. However, she would remain strong, she would remain strong for however long it took her friend to regain her own strength. It would be then that Kagome would allow herself to break.

"I wish the earth would open up and swallow me…" She broke off into some more tears again, "I never got to tell him… I never had a chance…"

"It's ok Sango… Everything is going to be ok…"

Kagome did winch then. Once again she failed hopelessly in her attempts to offer comfort, to offer strength. She tried slowly rubbing Sango's back and absently noticed Shippou clinging now to Sango's neck crying into her hair. She thought she heard him saying something and might have even caught the name Naraku.

Whether it was her clumsy words, her hand making slow gentle circles on Sango's back, or something Shippou said, Kagome would never know. What she did know was that Sango's cries slowly died down to a whimper. Kagome could still feel Sango's body shake violently from time to time, and could still feel the grief heavy in Sango's aura. However, Sango's desperation no longer felt like it was going to overwhelm Kagome. Now Kagome only had to worry about her own emotions.

Kagome questioned her motivations then. Was she comforting Sango to comfort her, or was she only doing it because she was selfish? Could it be that she was comforting Sango simply so that she herself would not hurt? Kagome's voyage into the darkness that was her self-doubt and guilt was interrupted by Sango's soft, almost silent words.

"Can we… can we take him to Kaede's… I want us to be able to give him a funeral…"

She broke off as if saying those words took all of her strength, but she surprised Kagome by continuing.

"If we leave him out here, scavengers or something will eat him. Will you, Will you help me Kagome."

Kagome gave her silent answer by helping her friend to her feet. With a soft mew the fire cat that had been nuzzling one of Sango's legs transformed into her larger version. A somber air came over the group as they prepared the monks body for transport. With the utmost care they lifted him onto the back of Kirara. They treated the body as if the slightest misstep would break it.

Sango looked down at the body of the monk. His face seemed so peaceful so serene. A onlooker would never have guessed that that the man suffered constant nightmares of his curse. Sango thought to herself how funny life was. Everyone had secretly always thought it would have been the monks cursed hand that would have ended his life. Sango felt a tear rolling down her cheek. As it fell from her chin towards the monks lips she silently mouthed words that no one else could hear. They were not words meant for anyone who was amongst the living.

Kagome watched as Sango looked down at the monk and a chill breeze blew the slayers hair across her face. She noticed that the sun was beginning to set. They had been there a long time.

Slowly they began their walk back to the village.

Inu Yasha's vision blurred red as he struggled to stand. The rational thought that he had managed to hold onto this long was almost overwhelmed by the tides of anger that welled up in him. The rage threatened to engulf him and to consume everything that he was. He gradually put a mangled hand on his sword, his father's last gift to him. With a deliberate slowness he drew it from the scabbard and held it out in front of him. The pain lanced up his arms as his damaged hand's struggled under the weight of the blade. But he did not give ground.

Despite drawing the blade his demon blood did not recede. However, his control and his rational though did stabilize somewhat and the waves of anger that had threatened to devour him now had a new focus. A part of his mind recognized that by using his full demon strength to fight with his father's sword, he would fight with a strength that he had never before imagined. The rest of his mind did not care.

He had found the thing that had been keeping him from finding his final peace, or rather it had found him. Now he would destroy it with all the anger he had for himself and the being in front of him.

A growl broke from his throat.

"I hope you are ready to die bastard."

His threat was met only by an amused chuckle.

"Ku ku ku."

Kaede was helping them with the body. The sadness and the pity were evident on her face. She had become close to every member of their group. However the emotions she felt could not compare to the rest of the party, now another member smaller.

A sudden explosion from the woods turned all of their heads. In the distance they could see a column of tentacles thrusting into the sky. Everyone present gasped, they all recognized the sight. There was only one demon it could be.

"Naraku."

Kagome was uncertain who had said the name. It might have even been her. It did not really matter. They had all been thinking it. She absently noticed the villagers screaming and running past them, seeking some sort of shelter. However, her attention was instantly caught by a red blur shooting up besides the tentacles.

"Inu Yasha."

This time Kagome was sure that it had been her that uttered the name. Inu Yasha was fighting Naraku. However, if Naraku was here, that meant… It meant that Shippou's self delusion was right after all. Miroku was dead and nothing could change that. But his blood was not on Inu Yasha's or her hands. It meant that the monk could be avenged, without having to hurt someone they cared about. A sudden fury filled her with an unknown strength.

"Naraku… I swear you will pay."

Kagome looked over at Sango's determined face, unsure why she was surprised by the slayers words.

"Come on Kagome, let's go help Inu Yasha."

With that they were on Kirara's back ridding towards the battle, leaving Miroku's body in the care of Kaede.

The breeze blew Kagome's hair back. Even though they were one friend short, and they were exhausted from everything that had happened they would kill Naraku. Miroku's spirit was still with them, offering them protection, offering them strength. They would fight harder than they had ever fought before, and they would win…

Final Note:

There you go. I hope that wasn't too bad. Sad about Miroku isn't it. I noticed something odd when I went through and reread my story. I noticed I spelled Inu Yasha as two words. At first it seemed odd to me, but I continued it. What do people thing about that. Also how do people feel about Japanese words appearing in stories? From using the Japanese's names of attacks to just random ones in random places. I know how I feel about writing them and reading them, I feel differently about them if I am reading or writing, but want to see what other people feel.

Also just how did you like the story in general.

Oh and don't worry too much about me bringing out Naraku all the sudden. I know what I am doing.

By the way. I will also be uploading edited versions of the older chapters very soon. Hopefully in like an hour. I cringed when I saw some of my typos.

See ya.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note:

Ok. So I only got one review on that last chapter. I deserved that, after the whole, not updating for two years now. I changed the ratting to M. When I started this story I am pretty sure it was when the old rating system was still around so I am not sure what it had been rated. I just noticed that this was rated T. I know I read this kind of stuff when I was a teen, but I figured I'd better up the ratting. If people disagree I'll move it back down. Anyway at the end of the chapter, there is a short description of the new story I plan to post on the weekend I think.

**A Winter's Breeze**

**Chapter Eight**

Inu Yasha dodged another blast of Naraku's deadly misma. His head was a mess. There were too many emotions flying through it. His demon blood occasionally wrestling for control had dulled his focus. His mind began to drift to how he had gotten to where he was. It was deadly to daydream during battle but he no longer had the self control.

_When he saw Sango's eyes staring at him with disbelief he felt as if he had been slapped. The demon blood suddenly no longer had claim over his mind. As he looked at the still body of Miroku in the center of the clearing he knew why. The grief and guilt he felt had overpowered his anger._

_His rage was still there, and as such he was still in a transformed state. However, guilt was not an emotion that his father's blood understood. It allowed his rational mind to remain in control, to suffer, to deal with the pain. He looked exactly like he always did when transformed, with one exception. In the center of his crimson eyes, his yellow irises and black pupils still remained. The color of blood had only dominated the whites of his eyes. _

_He could not look at Sango. He could not face what he had done, he was a coward. He ran._

_And he ran_

_He had kept on running, occasionally looking at his hands, seeing his blood mixed with the blood of another. He doubted he would ever be able to clean them. Even though he had control of himself he acted like a scared animal. He was unable to face his past, unable to face his crimes. He did not know what to do._

Inu Yasha dodged another blast from Naraku and countered with a swing of his Tetsuseiga. A tentacle fell to the ground and dissolved into a deadly cloud of misma. Naraku chuckled again as his appendage quickly regenerate and opened his mouth to speak.

"You can't win Inu Yasha."

"_You can't win Inu Yasha."_

_Those words had put his running to a stop. In his distracted state of mind he had somehow missed the horrible stench of Naraku, and now his foe stood before him._

"_I had planned to come here to finish you all off and take what is mine, however it looks like you have been doing the job for me."_

_Nataku's soft laugh cut through the air. Even though the sound was gentle and should have been soothing, the feel to Naraku's voice was filled with nothing but malice. Inu Yasha felt himself growling in response._

"Kaze no Kizu!"

With that yell Inu Yasha sent out a blast of energy from his sword as he was coming down from a leap. The wind scar flew down biting into Naraku's mass. The hanyou did not miss the wince that appeared on his foe's face. A sinister smirk appeared on Inu Yasha's lips.

"_But it looks like I still need to kill the rest of your friends. And that miko too, she'll be a nuisance as long as she is alive. But first I suppose I need to deal with you, ne?"_

_This thing was threatening Kagome. It was threatening people he thought of as friends. It did not matter if they hated him now. They were still his family. He would protect them to the death, to absolve himself of his sins, though he knew there could be no forgiveness of his actions. He had no doubt that he would die from this battle, but Inu Yasha would be sure to take Naraku with him._

Naraku managed to slice open another wound in Inu Yasha's side with a sythe like tentacle. However, it was not before the dog demon struck another painful blow to his mighty form. The only part of him that was now even vaguely human was his face that rested at the center of the writhing mass of tentacles that was slowly expanding to take over the forest.

Naraku frowned, perhaps he should not have reabsorbed Kagura and Kana; they may have been of some assistance in this battle. He had figured Inu Yasha would be easy pickings now. His insect scouts had showed him everything that happened, and it appeared that the mutt would be too emotionally distraught to even defend himself. Instead the hanyou was fighting with more strength and skill than ever before. And to make maters even more alarming he was fighting with the full power of his demon blood in tandem with the strength he drew from his human heart. Still without his friends Naraku would crush the dog.

Inu Yasha landed in a mass of tentacles and as they went to engulf them, shredded them with his claws. Once again he launched himself into the air preparing to strike with his sword.

_He deserved no redemption, and there would be no forgiveness for him. He was fighting with no regard for his own life, and that is what would give him the edge to win. The seemingly never ending battle would end today; there was no way around it. He would kill Naraku and then go off somewhere to die peacefully. It was more than he deserved but it is what he would take._

Parry, block, lunge, swipe, dodge. The battle continued as a dance. Inu Yasha was poring his all into the fight, determined that he would not loose. His injured hands were a handicap, and his wounds were beginning to accumulate sapping his strength, but he did not allow that to deter him. He fought not for redemption, he had denied himself any hope of that, but for some semblance of inner peace. Inu Yasha knew that if he could defeat Naraku, then he would have at least done something right. The hanyou knew he could not die until this deed was done.

The suddenly Inu Yasha heard a noise that lifted his heart out of his despair but also plunged his mind into confusion. He heard the calls of his friends. Shippou, Sango, and Kagome were all yelling at him to hang on. The dog demon was saddened when he realized that Miroku was not one of the people whose voice was heard. _Have they forgiven me? I don't see how. But maybe, if they can forgive me, then someday I can forgive myself._

He did not understand how they could have forgiven him of his sins, but it seemed that they had. And if his friends, some of the people he had hurt, could forgive him, then maybe redemption was not as impossible as he had thought. It would begin with the death of Naraku, and he would spend the rest of his life working for it.

As his friends landed behind him, Inu Yasha felt his strength bolstered. He heard Sango yell out.

"You'll pay for what you've done you monster," there was a pause as she threw her mighty weapon, "This is for what you did to Miroku."

With those words Inu Yasha was crushed. His heart plunged down deeper even than it had been before. His friends had not forgiven him. They did not know they needed to. Sango's words showed that she believed it was Naraku who had slain the monk. Her attack should have been directed towards him, not their long time enemy. His friends simply did not know of his sin. There was no redemption.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Inu Yasha thought he recognized people yelling at him. They were telling him to fight, to not just stand there. He did not know how long he stood, just staring at the sky, at the gentle snowfall. Then he felt something slam into him.

From the ground he could see one of Naraku's tentacles sweeping above him. If he had not been knocked down it would have caused him a great deal of pain, possibly even taken him out of the fight. Slowly the tentacle retracted back to the main mass.

When he heard gasp he looked towards her. She seemed to be staring at something. Following her eyes he realized what had happened. While he had been just standing there oblivious to everything Naraku had decided that it was a prefect opportunity to attack. Shippou must have seen this and had pushed him to the ground. Unfortunately it meant that the fox, hardly still just a child had taken the full force of the blow.

The kit was lying crumpled against a tree. Inu Yasha could not see his chest moving to take breaths. He could not hear the young kid's heart beating. It was another life on his hands. Another life he had extinguished. Color seemed to fade out of the world. He would kill Naraku, and then he would kill himself.

The battle then began in earnest. The field filled with anger, rage, guilt, and sorrow, all of theses emotions being pored into the fight. It seemed that Sango's giant bone boomerang was constantly flying through the air severing Naraku's appendages. The hunter meanwhile was slicing through demon flesh with her sword, occasionally pausing to catch and rethrow her aerial. Inu Yasha could see the pure fury in her eyes. Kagome's purifying arrows were vaporizing large chunks of Naraku's mass at a time. Never before had she pushed her spiritual powers so far, but she would not let her friends down now. Tears were running down her cheeks. Kirara was running back and forth ripping into the demon's flesh at key times to preemptively counter attacks on the group.

Then there was Inu Yasha. He fought like a demon out of hell. The half demon practically buried himself within Naraku, only to tear him apart from the inside. His sword flashed every which way. The hanyou was everywhere in the battle. However, Naraku's regenerative capabilities coupled with the power he received from a nearly complete Shikon Jewel healed most of the damage almost as fast as they dealt it. Kagome would eventually run out of arrows, and with the way everyone was fighting it was only a matter of time before someone made a mistake. Inu Yasha was in mid swing when he heard the cry.

"Kagome, look out!"

Inu Yasha's head wiped towards the direction the girl stood only to see one of Naraku's appendages heading straight towards the untrained priestess. The hanyou wanted to let out a sigh of relief as he saw that Sango's warning had come just in time. At the last minute Kagome had managed to jump out of the way.

Unfortunately Kagome's dodge had not been as graceful as it could have been. When she landed on the ground she felt her feet slip out from underneath her and suddenly the ground rushed up to meet her. Inu Yasha's heart clenched when he realized Kagome was defenseless, and Naraku was about to strike again. He leapt into the air rushing towards the woman he loved. He would not make it in time, he saw that. Time seemed to slow down as a tentacle that ended in a sinister spike reared up before Kagome's prone form.

There was a sickening sound of flesh being torn. The noise as the tentacle retracted and returned to Naraku's mass was almost obscene. A pool of blood suddenly appeared on the ground around Kagome. Sango stood over her friends body with her arm's outstretched. She had taken the lethal blow.

A large hole went through her body where her heart should have been. Her skin was very pale; however her bleeding had rapidly diminished. Without her heart pumping blood, nothing was pushing it out of her veins. The slayer stood for a moment before toppling down on top of Kagome. The demon exterminator's brain tried for a few futile moments to make sense of what had happened. It registered that a weeping Kagome was cradling her. However, everything was all jumbled and mixed up. So it turned in on itself, began to live on its memories. It focused on in particular, a conversation that had happened shortly after Inu Yasha had left for Kagome's time in Kaede's hut.

_Inu Yasha had just recently left to hopefully reconcile with Kagome. Sango desperately hoped that his gift, whatever it was, went well. She looked down at the monk who was lying down on the floor._

"_Will you give me a hand Sango."_

_The demon exterminator looked at Miroku suspiciously as if trying to discern what he was attempting to do. However, not being able to immediately identify any perverted intent, she reached down and grabbed his outstretched hand and helped him up. Once he was standing Miroku straightened himself out and then looked to Sango to voice the matter that had been on his mind as well._

"_My dear Sango, I have a proposal for you."_

_Sango's response was a quirked eyebrow._

"_I was thinking about this Christmas thing. Perhaps we ourselves should join in on this 'holiday spirit' as I believe lady Kagome put it. Shall we then exchange gifts with one another Christmas night?"_

"_I don't know…"_

_A thousand problems instantly popped into her mind. Miroku immediately noticed her hesitation and guessed, incorrectly the cause._

"_Do not worry about not being able to find me a present. If you are unable to find something or do not wish to, simply accept what I plan on giving you and that will be enough for me."_

_With that he walked out the door._

Sango wondered what he had been planning on giving her, or why he had been acting so out of character. She would probably never know now. Her mind then shifted to memories of events shortly later.

_Sango and Shippou were sitting in Kaede's hut. Shippou was busy drawing a picture with crayon while Sango was worrying about Miroku's gift. She was hoping that it was not, but expecting it to be, something perverted._

_Sango looked at Shippou's picture. There was a red blob with doggy ears, obvious to figure out who that was suppose to be. Next to it there was a greenish blob with black hair. A lot more time and detail had gone into the second blob. However, Shippou's untrained hand still left it fairly blob like. Sango guessed that it was suppose to be Kagome. They seemed to be holding hangs._

"_What are you drawing Shippou?"_

"_Do you remember how Kagome told us about how her parents got married? She said her dad proposed to her mom on Christmas. Do you think Inu Yasha is going to ask Kagome to marry him?"_

As Sango's mind was working over the memory it suddenly remembered something else. Shippou had not been there when Kagome had told them that story. It had just been Miroku, Kagome, and her. Mentally she frowned because she lacked the strength to do actually do so. _The hentai was trying to give me hints about his present._ It certainly explained some of his carefully chosen words earlier. The innocent conversation with Shippou had certainly been planned.

A painful smile graced her lips. Though her eyes were closed now, Sango could see a face smiling at her. She opened her lips in answer to an unspoken question.

"I will."

The words were so soft that no living soul could have heard them. However, the words were not meant for anyone among the living.

Inu Yasha saw Kagome huddled over their friend. He had not been able to protect Kagome. As a result someone else had to suffer. He had destroyed another life. All of the emotions that the hanyou had ever felt came bubbling to the surface. His human heart embraced them. It stoked the feelings letting them grow as they filled him. The hanyou's demon blood rushed through his mortal heart, caring all the emotions throughout his body. Within moments Inu Yasha was quivering with love and hate. He had been pushed to far, now no one would push him again.

With a yell filled with all of his anger, all of his pain, a yell born of guilt, Inu Yasha unleashed the power of his sword. Waves of energy blasted out from the blade of the Tetsuseiga. The waves raged, reflecting the turmoil in the hanyou's heart. Naraku's eyes went wide as the power of Inu Yasha's furry engulfed him. He threw his entire mass in front of him to attempt to absorb the blow. They yellow glow of the wind scar grew brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding.

When the light receded and the dust settled, Inu Yasha could be seen on his knees, supporting his weight on his father's blade. His head was hung low, and he could not see what his work had wrought. But still he knew he had failed. Naraku still lived.

As the cloud of debris kicked up by the attack dissipated, a shadowy figure could be seen across the battle field from Inu Yasha. As visibility became better Kagome could see for certain that it was indeed Naraku. He was now in his human form. Even though the attack had not destroyed him, it had obviously weakened him a great deal. He stood lopsided as if it hurt him to put weight on his left leg. The demon's left arm seemed to dangle uselessly at his side. His right hand was clenched over a gapping wound on his chest. Their enemy's once rich kimono was now nothing but tattered rags. Shock and pain were evident on his face.

Kagome saw all of this. She knew that she needed to end it now. Everything, everyone's hopes, everyone's lives were on her. If she failed in this, the lives of her friends would have been thrown away for nothing. With a steeled determination she drew her last arrow and slipped the notch into her bow string.

Naraku, whose strength had already been spent by this point, looked upon the priestess with an emotion akin to fear. It was one of the few times in his life when he felt as if everything was not under his control. A brilliant blue glow of spiritual energy was flaring around the miko. He needed to act fast if he was to live. At least Inu Yasha was no longer a threat. With that thought a smile came to the demon's face.

Before Kagome could react a tentacle shot out from Naraku. She gasped as at first she thought it was coming straight for her. In fact, if it had, her reflexes may have been too poor for her to save herself. Naraku could have struck her down then and there. However, as fate would have it, the tentacle veered off to the side.

The sudden silence that seemed to settle over the battle field was broken by Naraku's chuckling. It was now a harsh guttural sound, momentarily interrupted by coughing as the demon coughed up some blood.

"Go ahead miko. Shoot me if you wish, but know that you will also be killing your precious hanyou. So if you can, kill me and send Inu Yasha to hell."

Naraku's laugh ripped across the battle field. The target of his appendage had not been Kagome, but the exhausted Inu Yasha. The half demon now dangled uselessly in front of Naraku. His tentacle was wrapped around Inu Yasha's neck holding him so that the hanyou's heart was in between the Shikon jewel and Kagome.

Kagome's entire body began to quiver. There was no way she could hit her enemy without striking Inu Yasha as well. There was no way she could do that. She would be doing what Kikyou had been doing, except worse. This time there would be no magical slumber only to be reawoken years later. Only death would await the dog eared boy. Kikyou had thought Inu Yasha had betrayed her. Kagome had no such excuse. She knew Inu Yasha had done nothing to deserve death. He deserved to be happy.

Yet if she did not shoot, Naraku would live. Everything they had sacrificed that day would be in vain. There was also a very good chance that if she lowered her bow, Naraku would just kill Inu Yasha. Could she really do it? _No, I can't_. She began to let her aura fade and released the tension on her bow when she looked into Inu Yasha's eyes.

She knew then. Even if she did not fire, even if Naraku let him live, that he would die. There was no will to live left in his once golden eyes that now seemed dull. Kagome could see that all he desired now was death, peace perhaps. The school girl could also see the truth, and it brought tears to her eyes. _So it wasn't Naraku._ She thought of Miroku's still form. Their enemy's presence must have just been a coincidence. _I was wrong about him._ At least Sango and Shippou died believing that lie.

Kagome steeled herself raising her bow, praying that Inu Yasha would find forgiveness and the peace that he had been denied his entire life. She prayed that she would be able to forgive herself. The innocent school girl pulled back on the bow string and her aura flared with a brilliance that rivaled the sun. She could see Naraku's eyes widen in shock; he had been so confident that he had won.

She locked eyes with Inu Yasha. She would not look away. Kagome owed that much to him, and if she could not give him that last respect, then she could not do this. To her surprise, she thought she saw his head move in an almost imperceptible nod. Her fingers relaxed, then they let go. With that her heart died.

Final Note:

Sad? This isn't the end of the story. Next chapter will be up on Saturday hopefully. I plan to post it along with the first chapter of my new story, _A Five Year Span_. That's actually a tentative title but pretty close to what it will actually be if not the actual title.

Rather than include any of the actual story I will just give you guys the story summary I plan on using.

A Five Year Span

What's this Kaede, you say that the well alternates between working and sleeping every five years. Wait! What did that samurai say, Inuyasha-sama? Oh what a difference five years can make.

I also plan on working on a second story concurrently with that one, however it still needs some things worked out before I post it. I plan on calling it _The Tree_. Kind of boring title, though I am surprised it has yet to be taken. To be nice I will also include the summary of that.

The Tree

What if the bone eater well wasn't a portal to the past, how would Kagome's life have been different. What would have happened to poor Inuyasha pinned to that tree with no Kagome to set him free?


	9. Chapter 9

**A Winter's Breeze**

**Chapter Nine**

**The Tale Comes to a Close**

Kagome stood on the hill looking at the four graves. Kaede stood besides her offering her support. The other villagers had already paid their respects and left for their homes. Kagome had told a slightly edited version of the events of the previous day. Despite his actions, Kagome wanted Inu Yasha to be remembered fondly. She also felt the events were partially her fault and did not want to face the shame that would come with it being public knowledge. Since she had fallen through the well her four companions had become her life, her family, her everything.

Now it was all gone.

Kagome was still slightly thankful. She still had her time. The young priestess agreed that it would be best if she returned to her time with the Shikon jewel. The danger to it there would be far less considering she no longer had the protection Inu Yasha provided. She would go back to attending school on a regular basis and try to put this all behind her. Perhaps if she was lucky eventually all of it, all of the pain, would fade. Someday she imagined looking back at this time and remembering it as nothing more than the fanciful imagination of a young girl.

These thoughts brought shame to Kagome's heart. She did not want to forget her friends. She did not want to think that their bravery had just been a dream. Most of all she did not want to forget Inu Yasha and the love she had felt for him. But remembering hurt so much more. The pain and guilt of forgetting was temporary but the heartache involved with keeping her friends alive in her heart would haunt her forever. She wanted to just try for a normal life now, so she would do her best to let her them fade from her memory.

Kagome had heard dozens of times, in movies, books, from people at her father's funeral, that a loved one is never truly dead as long as one remembers them. That made her laugh. If that was the case it seemed that Kagome was going to deal the final blow to her friends. Her body shuddered as she suppressed her sobbing. She had already dealt the final blow to Inu Yasha. She had done the one thing she had sworn never to do.

Kagome looked up and realized she was already at the lip of the well that had been so important in her life. Without realizing it she had told Kade farewell and turned her back forever on the four solum grave markers casting their shadows in the setting sun. Her mind began running through all of her memories and now she truly began to sob in earnest.

She knew she was leaving behind some unfinished business. The young schoolgirl would feel bad about not saying goodbye to Kouga, though hopefully she would forget him with the rest. There was also still the matter of Kikyo. The undead priestess still was in possession of a fraction of Kagome's soul. Her only hope was that when Kikyo heard of Inu Yasha's and Naraku's death she would be able to go to hell by herself and rest in peace. Perhaps then that part of her soul would reach her in the future. It was strange. Kagome had always thought of the two of them, that Kikyo would be the one to kill Inu Yasha.

As she swung her legs up onto the well she was reminded of the cold weight pressed against her chest, the stupid Shikon Jewel. She had thought of using the jewel to bring them all back to life. She did not know if it was techincally posible but deep down she knew it would not work. She could return Inu Yasha's body to life, but nothing could heal the damage done to his mind and heart. Kagome had also considered simply wishing that the tragedy had never happened. However she questioned the purity of such a wish and suspected that the jewel would some how twist her desires into a reality somehow worse than it was now. So she would wish for nothing.

The jewel had brought so much suffering. It was the jewel which had given Naraku the ability to slaughter everyone Sango had held dear. It was the jewel which had given Naraku the power to curse Miroku's faimly. It was the jewel It was the jewel which had motivated the thunder brothers to kill Shippo's parents. It was the jewel which had driven Kikyo and Inu Yasha apart. It was the jewel that had brought Kagome back to this time.

If the Shikon Jewel had not formed in her body when she was reincarnated, if it had just been destroyed with Kikyou's death, Kagome could have avoided all of this pain. It was selfish but she did not care. She wished the stupid jewel never existed, she wish she had never heard of it.

With all of her anger, her guilt, her sorrow she flung the the Shikon Jewel away from her.

"I wish you had burned up on Kikyou's funeral pyre you stupid rock!"

Time seemed to freeze. Her falling tears were suspended in midair. The Shikon jewel sat at the peak of its trajectory not moving. Then suddenly it shattered. Not into hundreds of pieces as had happened previously, but millions of infinitesimally small pieces. And the world around her began to tear apart.

All around her the world seemed to be shattering. It was if Kagome was in a whirlwind of destruction. Slowly the world was shrinking with her at the center. Beyond its border was nothing but blackness.

"What's... What's happening..." Kagome was afraid.

"Your wish is being granted. However without the jewel you never could have opened the well. Time is being undone."

Kagome knew the voice that had answered her. It was the voice of the legendary priestess who's soul was trapped inside the jewel. And she knew she would remember none of this. Kagome's last coherent thought before the oblivion was that the winter breeze smelled pleasant.

* * *

Kagome woke up with the sun shinning onto her face. She rose her hands to wipe the sleep out of her eyes and found that they were wet. Had she been crying in her sleep? Sadness momentarily came over her but it was gone just as briefly as it had come. The young schoolgirl jumped out of her bed with enthusiasm. Today was her birthday and it was going to be a great day. She had plans on going to see a movie with her friends and then they were all going to have dinner at her house. Maybe if she was really lucky Hojo might ask her out.

After a quick breakfast Kagome was headed out the door when she ran into her grandfather.

"My dear granddaughter I am afraid I simply cannot wait to give you my preseant."

Kagome carefully took the small wrapped package and carefully unwrapped it. She simply hoped it was different from all the other presents she had received from jii-san. As the paper unfolded in her hands she was left with a simple but elegant string of prayer beads. Seeing the question in her eye grandfather Hirugashi launched into an explanation.

"Those beads once belonged to a holy monk. Many years ago he, together with a villiage of warriors, managed to slay a powerful shape changing demon who had managed to usurp power in the region. It was said that the demon was seeking after our very own Shikon Jewel but was unable to find it and thus fell prey to those noble warriors."

"Our Shikon Jewel?"

"AHH, Kagome I've told you about it at least half a dozen times."

With this the old man leaned over and stuck his hands into a box and pulled out a handful of key chains that looked to have some plastic ball attached to them.

"What do you think Kagome? I bet they sell out before the day is out."

Kagome just shook her head as she went outside leaving her grandfather cackling at the profits he imagined to make. Going through the shrine yard she paused briefly beneath the god tree. She had always felt a sense of comfort from it. According to her grandfather legends had it that the spirit of a powerful demon was trapped at the heart of the tree and had once protected the entire forest that had once existed in the area. She imaged that if the story was true, perhaps the spirit was still watching over the shrine now that its forest was gone.

Kagome suddenly saw Buyo her cat run off into the shrine house. With a sigh she went to shoo the cat out of the building. Her grandfather did not appreciate Buyo's tendency to scratch relics. Inside the dark house she heard a noise coming from the other side of the sealed well. She briefly wondered why it would be sealed up. Kagome never really paid too much attention to the shrine's history. As she circled the well she found the errant cat, the source of the noise.

The girl scooped her fat tabby up into her arms and deposited the cat onto the ground ouside of the well house. With a brief look back at the well she then made her way to school for another day.

T H E E N D

Author's Note: I will soon be posting the first chapter of another story. I think the title will be the Tree. The story was not originally intended as but works as a sequel to Winter's Breeze. It can also stand alone by itself. It will be a much lighter story than this one.

I will also likely be soon posting the first chapters of two other stories. In one the well will be closing for five years. A lot can change in five years.

In another Kagome discoverers that her father, who has long been absent, is now returning home. How will he react to Inu Yasha?

I promise that I will update more frequently than this story was.


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